The Means to an End
by nghtskies
Summary: In which Jackie's high status is beginning to be questioned, and she would do anything to stay at the top. (AU) Cross posted on (AO3)
1. Anything for the Crown

**Author Notes: **Well welcome to my recent baby! This fic hit me in the middle of the night and honestly, I couldn't be happier with it! I am going to try to stick with an updating schedule for this, so expect an update every Friday. (or earlier depending on my inspiration)

A few housekeeping things: This fic takes place in the fall of Jackie's sophomore year, so her characterization is centered around her season one portrayal.

Saying that, she will not come off as ditzy simply because she was only really "ditzy" when she was with Kelso and in this fic that just doesn't take place. She is a bit more manipulative and a tad bit more mature than her season one self but that will be addressed later in the fic.

To me, Jackie has always been a bit ambitious, she just focused her drive on things that seemed petty and shallow to others so hopefully that explains her characterization in this fic. Also this fic is heavily inspired by many teen cult classics so if you see something you recognize from movies such as _Bring it on, Mean Girls, Heathers, Clueless,_ etc, just know it's probably done on purpose.

Another thing, this fic will not be following the timeline of the show as it is an AU, but some events from the show will take place because I do feel like they are essential to the characters or their relationships.

Please leave a comment or review if you enjoy it! Constructive criticism is appreciated and encouraged! I also have a tumblr** ( .com)** if you want to ramble to me or see updates about the fic!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned _That '70s Show_ then seasons 8 wouldn't exist. Simple as that.

**Chapter 1: Anything for the crown**

Sitting on the seemingly only comfortable chair in _whoever's_ house she was in, the young brunette crossed her bare legs over each other as she let her gaze travel the room. Point Place had finally won a game in the rather sad football season, and of course it was a cause to celebrate, _(and excuse for teens to get drunk)_.

So here she was, in the vacant house of one of the football players (_or was it one of the cheerleaders?) _on her third cup of beer from a keg in the far corner of the living room. Usually she would be making her way around the room, dazzling her many peers with her untouchable beauty but she couldn't bring herself to stand from her spot. Maybe the beers were finally catching up to her, maybe she was just tired from the game, or maybe she was just feeling a bit off her personal game.

Letting out a slight snort, the young girl smoothed her pleated forest green cheer skirt over the tops of her smooth tanned thighs and brought the cup that was half way full of beer back to her glossed lips. Jackie Burkhart _was never _off her game; it was just simply unheard of. So the alcohol had to be the source of her unusual feelings. Taking yet another sip from her cup, the brunette let her gaze roam over the slightly crowded area, her fingers absentmindedly twirling a dark strand of her hair.

"Jackie! Are you even listening to me?"

The petite girl found herself blinking her mascara covered lashes slowly before turning her head to the blonde that was occupying the armrest of the seat she was resting in. A false smile spread across Jackie's rosy glossed lips, and her head tilted slightly.

"Of _course_, Leslie. I just became a bit distracted by all of the eye candy tonight."

The dark haired girl raised an arched brow suggestively, letting her coy words register on the blonde next to her. She watched as Leslie smiled back at her, and nod eagerly, her own eyes turning around to scope out the many males in the room.

Usually, Jackie would be paying attention to Leslie, even engaging in a conversation with the blonde; the girl was an excellent source of information and always seemed to know a bit of everything about everyone, but she just couldn't bring herself to care about what was coming out of the chattering blonde's lips. Maybe she needed a nap.

"Oh! I am so glad you said that, I have been meaning to tell you. The girls think you need a boyfriend." Jackie heard the peppy blonde beside her say as she patted Jackie's sweatshirt clad shoulder. Jackie could barely cover up her cough as she seemingly choked on air at the words that just escaped Leslie's own glossed lips. The brunette turned her mismatched gaze to the blonde on the armrest, her button nose scrunching at the information she just received. She knew Leslie was good for something. Blinking a bit slowly once more, the brunette flicked her hair over her shoulder and tilted her head up, fixing the blonde girl with a look that always sent her into a spout of gossip.

"Boyfriend?" Jackie questioned, her brow arching once more as she stared at the shifting blonde and watched a flush appear on her pale cheeks.

"Well you see, some of the girls believe that you need a boyfriend to, uh, you know, secure your status."

Once the statement left Leslie's lips, Jackie felt both of her dark arched brows raise. She knew which girls Leslie was referring to; it was the same girls that always offered comments or advice about her life, the cheerleaders. Jackie nodded, encouraging the blonde to go on and she listened as the words started to tumble out of the other cheerleader's mouth.

"We-_ell_, We all know that you are the most prettiest girl in school, I mean you hair is amazing." Jackie nodded again at the blonde's words; of course everyone knew that. It was like stating the sky is blue, a simple and obvious fact.

"But I overheard Julie talking to some of the girls about how you have never had a boyfriend and that just doesn't make sense, ya know?" the blonde rambled, a nervous look crossing her soft features as Jackie watched her, listening to each and every word that came out of the blonde's glossed lips.

Jackie found herself nodding once more; her mind working over the gossip the Leslie just spilled onto her. She could see where the other girls were coming from. She was the prettiest in all of Point Place and the prettiest deserved to have someone a little less pretty beside her. Jackie let a bright smile grace her features, and reached out to pat the other girl's skirt covered thigh.

"Thank you so much for telling me this, Leslie. You are _such_ a good friend." The brunette said, watching the blonde's nervous demeanour melt and a smile spread across her lips. She placed her empty cup on a nearby end table and turned back to the blonde next to her, placing her hands on her lap as she cleared her throat. "Now, who are the single boys?" The brunette asked with a suggestive wiggle of her brows, ears perking up as she listened to the blonde begin to chatter away.

The list of boys the blonde provided her was an extensive one to say the least. Hell, if Jackie was a lesser being she would be intimidated by the prospect of having the chance to woo so many different potential process, but she wasn't a lesser being. She was _the _Jackie Burkhart and any chump would be lucky to have her. Jackie waved her hand dismissively as the blonde continued to name guys that didn't quite hold her interest, and as the next name left Leslie's lips, Jackie lifted a hand to stop the girl mid sentence.

"Micheal Kelso is single?" The brunette asked, a dark brow arching as she questioned the blonde. "Uh, yeah, He's fresh on the market. Word on the street is that his last girlfriend was just too boring for him."

Jackie let out a noncommittal sound after the blonde finished speaking and started to continued her list once more. Micheal Kelso was, to be quite honest, a beautiful specimen. He was the type of guy that made her heart ache, and her gaze turn into stars.

If she had the perfect dream of what her first boyfriend would look like, it would be him. A man that was damn near as beautiful as she was, but that's where the good things seemed to stop. Everyone knew he was Point Place residential idiot, and Jackie didn't know if she could deal with a blubbering man just to secure her position in the hierarchy that was Point Place High, but maybe she could mold him into what she needed to be. Jackie shifted in her seat once more, tuning back into blonde's endless chattering just in time to catch the next name she was saying.

"And of course you have Steven Hyde. Although he's a bit of a burnout, he has this edginess that the girls seem to enjoy, plus he has this whole only one week thing maybe because of that Donna chick, but no one is sure."

Jackie tilted her head as she absorbed the information that spilled from the blonde's glossed lips and felt the thoughts in her head begin to shift into overdrive. Of course, she only saw Steven about once or twice briefly in the halls simply because they didn't run the same circles and he didn't tend to show to any of the classes they shared (not that they shared many). She could see where her fellow cheerleaders were coming from as in her brief time in his presence she too felt the intimidating yet alluring vibe he held.

Yes Micheal was beautiful and he sure as hell would be easy to bag, and flaunt by her side, but if she could bag Steven, the residential bad boy, a guy that held so many red flags he might as well be a stop sign, her position wouldn't be threatened anymore. A slow, bright smile began to spread across Jackie's petite features, and she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder once more, fixing the girl beside her with the same smile that helped her secure the spot of Point Place's number one girl in such a short time.

"You can stop, Leslie. I think I have made my decision." The brunette said, her eyes gleaming as she picked up her long emptied cup.

"You have? Well, who are you choosing?" Jackie watched the blonde next to her perk up and lean forward at the prospect of new gossip but she just shook her head and held out her empty cup, her manicured nails grasping the rim of it.

"Now where is the fun in telling you?' Jackie said, a smile still fixated across her features, as her dark hair swayed behind her. "Besides, I think it's time for our drinks to be refreshed."

The brunette shook her hand indicating that she wanted the girl next to her to take the void cup. Leslie took the hint, grabbing Jackie's empty cup before she stood up The dark haired girl mindlessly watched the other as she walked over to the emptying keg, her bright smile still firmly in place.

While, yes, Micheal seemed to be the perfect first boyfriend on paper, Steven posed more of a challenge. She was sure that she could get Micheal to fall for her, to be the perfect man that she needed by her side in the halls of Point Place High. He was beautiful and in time she was confident she would be able to fall in love with him, but she couldn't bring herself to taint her first relationship with the pretense of popularity.

With Steven it would be like one of her father's many business transactions, he wasn't an idiot like Micheal was and she could speak plainly to him and offer a relationship that benefited them both.

If she could have Steven, a boy that never had a serious relationship in his three years at Point Place High, on her arm as she walked the halls and streets of Point Place, her position of number one would never be questioned again. Yes, Micheal was easy and fit the perfect mold of rules that were in place, but Burkharts didn't do easy nor did they follow things as petty as rules and the blood that ran through Jackie's veins was pure Burkhart.

Things were finally about to become _fun _around this small town.


	2. In the limelight, I want to stay

**Author Notes: ** A fast update because I could not resist updating.

Please leave a comment or review if you enjoy it! Constructive criticism is appreciated and encouraged!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned _That '70s Show_ then seasons 8 wouldn't exist. Simple as that.

**Chapter 2: In the limelight, I want to stay**

Only a week had passed since Leslie dropped what Jackie dubbed as the "boyfriend bomb" on her, and the young brunette could practically see her lessers foaming at the mouth at the thought of her fall from grace approaching. It wasn't like she was not trying to put the plan she had reviewed over and over in her head for the pass week into action. It was just that Steven Hyde proved to be an extremely difficult individual to get a hold of.

She rarely saw him around school, and she couldn't risk asking Leslie anything about the boy simply because that might tip the blonde off to her plans and the last thing she needed was Leslie spreading rumors around about her and Steven before she even had the chance to confront him. It would be cataphoric since she did not know if Steven would even agree to her proposed transaction, and if word got out that a burnout rejected _her_, she could kiss her number one status good bye.

Huffing softly as she pushed open the door to The Hub, Jackie flicked her meticulously curled dark locks of hair behind her shoulders as she walked into the slightly busy establishment. After the week she had, she could use a milkshake as a bit of a pick-me-up.

Her gaze wandered around the small business in hopes of finding a familiar face, but what she found was something much better. Towards the back of the busy building, sitting in one of the booth tables, there he was; the very individual that Jackie had been trying to ensnare all week long.

The brunette let a small smile take over her cherry stained lips and found herself smoothing her lean fingers down her dark wash jeans. Not wasting another second, the petite girl tilted her head and glided across the room, her hips swaying in a hypnotic motion as she approached the table the curly haired boy occupied.

Once she reached the table, she slid right into the booth beside him, effectively invading the boy's personal space. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder as she fixed him with her mismatched stare, and gave him a blinding, wide grin.

"Hi, Steven!" She greeted him batting her mascara covered lashes at him; a move that left many males of her school blushing or stammering to do anything and everything for her but Steven only shifted away from with a dark brow raised over his dark lenses seemingly questioning her presence at his designated table. Jackie didn't let that flatter her approach though; she rested an elbow on the table, the sweet, wide smile still gracing her features as she leaned into the curly haired boy next to her.

"You are _just _the guy I was looking for!" She exclaimed, her tone overly friendly as she batted her eyelashes once more at the boy beside her. She watched as his lips turned into a sarcastic grin and both of his dark brows raise.

"And why would you be looking for me?" The boy asked, his head turning away from her as he plopped a string like fry into his mouth. The question was simple but it offered Jackie just the entrance she needed to propose her proposition for him. She flipped her dark hair once more, and reached to rest her hand over his own hand that rested lazily on the cluttered table.

"I have a proposition for you." She said softly, her head tilting as she watched the curly haired boy turn his head to face her, a coy grin appearing onto his face. "Do you now? Sorry, doll, but preppy cheerleaders aren't usually my type, if ya catch my drift." Jackie let out a scoff at his words and brought the hand that rested on top of his to shove his shoulder. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his words, her nose scrunching in slight disgust.

"Like I would ever want to do that with _you_." She shot back as another eye roll escaped her. "No this proposition is something else. Something that I think would benefit us both."

The brunette watched as her words settled over the boy beside her, his dark brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at her with those stupid dark lenses covering his gaze. She found herself wanting to rip the sunglasses from his face so she could get a proper read on him, but she resisted that urge; people usually wouldn't do what you wanted them to if you took their things, she learned that the hard way.

"What do you want to buy some film or something?" Jackie felt her doe like eyes narrow at his question, and another scoff escaped her lips. _Why on earth would she wanted to purchase a film from him? What kind of sense does that make? _Shaking her head, the brunette scooted closer to the male and rolled her eyes once more.

"_No._ I was thinking we could go on a date, like the movies or something." She said, her dark lashes batting once more as she gave him her prettiest smile, confident that he would accept her offer; then once he agreed to pick her up, she could start to break down her plight and her plan to solve her problem but the next word he said halted her.

"No." He replied, turning away from her once more, and Jackie had bite her tongue to fight back the urge to scream at the aloof boy that was plopping greasy fries into his mouth. What the hell did he mean _no?_ No one said no to her. She was simply too gorgeous to deny, hell she was wearing one of her best Friday night outfits and he had the _audacity_ to say _no_ to _her._

"No? What do you mean, _no?_" She questioned spitting out the last word as if it tasted of acid as she blinked her mismatched eyes slowly. Her bright smile turned into a slight frown; her gaze still firmly on the curly haired brunette next to her.

"Told you, I don't do preppy cheerleaders." He said as if it were the most obvious notion in the world, and Jackie felt herself bristle next to him. Her olive toned face flushed, and her doe like gaze narrowed once more.

He was supposed to be falling at her feet, _thanking_ her that she took out the time of her day to not only speak to him, but grace him with her presence. He was not supposed to be turning her down, while making sexual innuendos. It was _unheard_ of. She knew that he knew who she was, so why on earth would he be behaving like this. Jackie's slightly puzzled expression turned thunderous as she shook her head once more, her dark curls falling to frame her olive, heart shaped face.

"Would you _stop _saying that." She spat out, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the boy watching him shrug his shoulders in nonchalance, an act that only furthered her building irritation, but before she could open her mouth to hurl insults at the grunge looking boy that lazily munched on his basket of fries, an annoying voice filled her ears.

"Jackie! I didn't expect to see you here."

The dark haired girl let out a deep exhale and clenched her hand that rested on the table into a small fist, resisting the urge to greet the person with a roll of her eyes; her mismatched gaze turned from the aloof male she was focusing on to her least favorite blonde in the entirety of Point Place. Standing in front of the table was Julie, and unlike Leslie, the girl didn't greet her with adoring eyes and a nervous grin; no this grin was filled with veiled malicious tendencies and these eyes only held a sting of jealousy in them.

Honestly, Jackie couldn't blame the girl for her jealousy. She was everything her peers desired to be. Rich, talented, fashionable, and cute to boot, what more could a Point Place girl desire? So, yeah, Jackie felt kind of bad for the blonde that was staring her down; she couldn't imagine having to live in a shadow as big as hers, but that didn't excuse the constant issues she was continuously causing. Every recent cheer-leading practice was filled with sly comments and questions about her poor excuse for a love life, and Jackie just couldn't have that. While she felt sympathy for the blonde cheerleader, she could recognize that the bitch needed to be subdued.

With a flick of her hair, the brunette fixed the taller cheerleader with a bright smile that didn't quite met her mismatched eyes. "Julie, I didn't expect to see you either, I was sure your lips would be attached to some random poor boy. How's that mono treatin' you?" She replied, her bright smile turning a bit cruel, as she batted her mascara covered lashes with faux innocence.

She felt Steven shift beside her hearing a deep chuckle followed her statement and a noise that suspiciously sounded like the word '_burn.'_ Not sparing the boy beside her a glance, she focused in on the way Julie's eyes narrowed at her, and her cold smile tuning a bit cooler for just a moment.

"Well at least I seem to attract men." The blonde spat out her fake sweet tone dropping, and Jackie couldn't help the triumphant smirk that replaced her bright smile. She knew she'd won the pitiful battle of the wits once Julie started to make jabs at her love life. Taking a fry from Steven's basket, she plopped it into her mouth, her mismatched gaze reflecting the mirth she felt as she looked at Julie's fuming face.

"Can you leave now? You're interrupting my conversation with my friend." Jackie said once she swallowed the fry she was chewing, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder as she turned her gaze back to the nonchalant curly haired boy next to her.

"Isn't that right, Steven?" Her tone taking on it's usual sweet as she unclenched her hand, placing it on top of Steven's once more. She saw him raise his brows slightly, and move his hand from hers (_again, what was this guy's issue?)_ opting to fold his arms across his chest.

"We're not friends."

Jackie exhaled deeply through her nose and shot the boy next to her a glare laced with such venom that it would've usually sent her lessers running, but Steven just shot her a sarcastic smile and with a tilt of his head, he was focused back on whatever he was thinking about. Suddenly, she was overcome with the urge to shove him again.

A scoff left her lips as she turned back to Julie, her sweet smile appearing back onto her face as her contrasting gaze locked with the blonde's deep brown one. "We are _so_ friends. Steven likes to joke." She said, her head shaking as she emphasized the statement, her eyes rolling in playful annoyance.

"Anyways, I have more important matters to attend to, _buh-_bye now." The brunette girl waved her hand in dismissal of the blonde in front of the table she was occupying, and turned her attention back to Steven, only opening her mouth to speak once she heard Julie's retreating steps. Fixing her stare to the profile of the curly haired boy's face,with the right lighting she could see why many of her peers were harboring a secret crush on him. He did seem to be just a tad bit handsome, if ruggish was your thing.

Clearing her throat, she leaned into the boy again and let her bright faux smile drop from her face. "Listen, Steven. I'm doing something I never do, I'm asking for help, _your_ help, and I know we don't really know each other but I am sure I can repay you somehow." She said, rambling slightly as she blinked up at the boy next to her. She didn't plan on telling him this right out, but he just didn't seem to be falling for her usual tactics so she _had _to switch it up.

Maybe honesty would work on him.

She watched the boy shift in his seat, and the snort that escaped his lips sent her heart sinking. Before she knew it, she felt her head tilting and herself blurting out the statement she was saving for after their first date. "I know about Donna." She said, immediately tugging her bottom gloss covered lip between her teeth once the statement left her. His head turned so sharply that she _knew _she had him; _hook, line, and sinker. _

She flipped the dark hair that made its way back over her shoulder behind her again, and let a small smirk appear onto her face. "A little birdy told me that you _lo_-" At Steven's scowl, the brunette quickly switched her terminology with a bat of her eyelashes "_Like_ the amazon, and I could help you win her over."

The boy was quiet for a few pauses and Jackie began to wonder if maybe she read the situation wrong. Another pause passed, and she saw Steven shift in his seat once more; the sound of him clearing his throat filling the air between them.

"How would you do that." He asked, his head turning to her, and Jackie resisted the urge to jump up and down for joy in her seat. Oh, she _so_ had him.

Grinning, the dark haired girl strained her posture and clasped her hands in her lap. "By showing her what a catch you are." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She winked a mismatched eye the aloof boy and plucked a pen from the small shoulder strap purse she was carrying.

Taking a napkin from the dispenser, she wrote her address down in her usual neat writing and slid it to the boy, using her unoccupied hand to drop the pen right back into her open purse.

"I can't elaborate here, but if you come to my house tomorrow around noon and I'll explain there." She said, and at Steven's coy grin she felt her nose scrunching once more. "And no, I am not inviting you over to do _that._"

Shaking her head, she stood up and shot him a sly smile and began to walk towards the exit of The Hub. She knew it was a gamble to leave all of the cards in Steven's hands but based on his body language she was sure she had him in the palm of her hands.

Besides, who could resist anything she had to offer? With a final flip of her hair, the brunette exited The Hub, a bright smile on her face and her desired milkshake long forgotten.


	3. Bad Idea

**Author's Note: **Here is another chapter, this one took me a little longer to write as I am trying to make them a bit lengthier, and once scene really gave me issues. I appreciate the Kudos and Comments I have received, like you guys do not know how much it means to me that someone out there likes my shitty writing.

Quick Note: The reason why I didn't want to go with the Steven likes Donna route is because I found it to be too predictable, and I wanted Steven's motivations to not be that clear. Plus the StevenxDonna plot point always fell flat to me in the series, like they never really fleshed it out.

Anyways as always, please leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoy it! Constructive criticism is appreciated and encouraged!

**Chapter 3: Bad Idea**

"You're tellin' me that you want to start dating, but not for real?"

Hyde found himself staring blankly at the tiny girl that sat across from him, her legs tucked under herself as she rested on the dark sepia leather couch parallel to the one he, himself was occupying. He watched as she nodded her head eagerly; her rosy lips were spread in a large grin and her dark, curled ponytail swaying in a repeated motion behind her, eyes gleaming at the idea of him agreeing to her ridiculous plan.

Honestly, he couldn't even remember why he was in her house, hell, he barely knew the girl. Of course, he knew _of_ her as she was one of the many girls Kelso rambled about but until she plopped onto the bench beside him in The Hub, he was never in the girl's space nor was she in his. She just wasn't a person he associated himself with as she was apart of the many people who looked at guys like him like he was worth nothing more than the bottom of their overpriced shoes, and frankly he found her to be a bit annoying. Hell, what cheerleader wasn't?

So when she approached him, he just thought she wanted the same thing as every other preppy girl wanted from him; a quick roll between the sheets as a simple 'fuck you' to their parents. Yet, her clear disgust at the notion was odd, and left him a bit puzzled for a brief moment because she had clearly wanted something from him and the only thing he could give a girl like her was a quick fuck and weed.

That led him to his other question, but even that suggestion seemed to fly over her pretty little head. So he found himself stumped by a tiny girl when all he wanted to do was enjoy a basket of fries and a little bit of peace from his ma. She was just as confusing as she was annoying and even after that rather impressive burn on some other cheerleader, he still wanted to just get away from whatever _Twilight Zone _episode he found himself in.

Then, _oh then_, she brought up Donna.

He had to give it to the girl, either she paid more attention to him than he did to her or she had one hell of a source; he would go with the latter. At the mention of his only friend that was a girl's name, he found himself having to quickly reinforce his Zen before he completely showed how stumped the petite brunette made him feel.

While it was true that he held some kind of attraction for the redhead girl he spent so many years of his childhood with, it was just simple attraction barley tipping the edge of infatuation. Who could blame him, he was a teen boy and she was the only girl that looked at him like he meant something, but the flames of his attraction quickly died down once he saw the longing looks her and his scrawny best friend sent each other.

Sure, Hyde knew he was as sleazy as they came but he couldn't come between a sure thing just because his pants got a little tight around a girl. Yet for Jackie to bring up his best girl friend, that meant she was desperate for something and no matter how much he didn't want to care, he couldn't shake his building confusion and curiosity.

It was just something about the brunette that threw him off. She didn't speak like most preppy girls he had the pleasure of talking to (even if they didn't do much speaking). She spoke like someone who was used to getting what they wanted, and even though it should've came off as spoiled; it strangely just played into her overwhelming confident presence.

She formed questions in a way where even though they seemed like suggestions, they really weren't. It made him want to ignore grating existence even more, and he did until Kelso started his daily rambles about how hot the cheerleaders were in their circle. Next thing he knew, he was out the door of Forman's basement and walking halfway across town to meet with the brunette that now fixed him with gleaming jewel toned eyes.

"Why would I care about a cheerleader dictatorship, when I don't even care about our country's dictatorship?" He stated, his deep voice in its usual flat, nonchalant tone as his brows raised at the dark haired girl. He felt his lips tug into a lopsided smirk as she rolled her eyes and shoot him an annoyed glare. Huh, it was easier to push her buttons than it was to push Forman's.

"Because, _Steven_, you want Donna. I want to stay on top. If we _fake_ date then we will not only show that you can be boyfriend but we will also prove that I am still better than the rest."

He watched her speak, her voice still in it's usual cheery yet shrill tone but he could tell she was so confident in her plan, so confident in the idea that everything would work in her favor like it had time and time again, and _oh_ how he wanted to crush that confidence. He shook his head at her as he leaned forward to place his hands on his jean clad knees, a sarcastic grin spreading across his face.

"Well that's where you're wrong, doll. This only benefits you, not me."

He could barely contain his urge to laugh as he watched the petite girl's features morph into a look of confusion and her plump lips drop open slightly. It only took her a second to recover; her dark pony tail shaking as she shook her head, her hand gesturing in a motion that only exaggerated her disbelief.

"But Donna-"

"Old news." He promptly cut her off, his grin widening as he felt a rush of excitement, no _enjoyment_, watching her slowly realize that she didn't have him locked like she thought she did.

Oh no, he had _her. _

"You're lying." She spat out, and multiple deep chuckles escaped the curly haired teen's lips as he shook his head at the dark haired girl that fixed him with such a glare that he was sure if looks could kill he would be dead.

She continued to stare at him, her gaze unwavering and just as he was about to stand up and dismiss himself from her sham of a plan, she did the last thing he expected her to; she bursted into a fit of tears.

Hyde stared at the girl in front of him, noticing how her wide set eyes filled with tears, and her glossed lips morph into a pout. Her small shoulders started to shake as sniffles escaped her small button nose. The curly haired boy blinked his eyes slowly as he felt every fiber in his being tense and before he knew it, his mouth was forming the very words that he knew he would regret later.

"Fine! I'll do it." He grumbled out, hands gripping his jean clad knees in a vice grip as he turned his head from the petite brunette sitting in front of him.

A very brief moment passed and he shifted his gaze back to her small form, and could barely contain the shock of the sight that met him. She has staring at him with a small grin on her cherry lips, and the look on her soft features seemed to scream satisfaction.

Jewel toned eyes met powder blue, and the message in hers were alarmingly clear. She _played_ him like Jimmy Page played his electric guitar. He should be angry at her for using _tears_ to rope him into getting what she wanted. He should be out her door, not sparing her another glance. He should be, but instead he found himself wondering why she was so insufferably hot.

* * *

She was _fuming._

Her orange heels clicked on the concrete as she marched into the driveway that belonged to the Formans; her dark hair swaying furiously behind her and her pouty lips were set into a straight angered line. She knew the object of her anger had to be somewhere in the premise as he was always hanging around that twitchy Eric kid, according to Leslie, and when she found him, _oh, _when she found him, she would tear him a new one.

She did not take the time out of her Saturday to explain a meticulously plan and set of rules to carry out said plan, just to be stood up the next Monday. How dare he not show up to school, when she made sure to tell him to? How dare he ignore a direct order? How _dare_ he waste her time?

God, he even caused her to miss Leslie's daily lunch report, and now she would have to call the girl and ask for a stupid recap.

Instead of fixing everything like he was supposed to be doing, he was causing her _more _problems and she couldn't help but let out a dramatic exhale. She could not believe she spent extra time in the morning on her hair, just for him to not make an appearance. Frowning once more, she let her gaze sweep over the driveway before she noticed a man bent over the hood of a Toyota seemingly tinkering with the foremally mentioned car.

With a flip of her dark, curled locks, she approached the male and cleared her throat. "Excuse me," She began, her frown disappearing as she gave the man a dazzling smile that she usually saved for adults. "Is Steven around?" She questioned, her head tilting as she watched the man turn from the task he was busying himself with, his aged face fully facing her young one.

She quickly recognized him to be that twitchy Eric kid's father as she had briefly witnessed her father speaking to him from time to time at one random town event or another. She watched him take in her presence, a brief flicker of recognition flashed in his green eyes as he stared at her.

"And who are you to him?" The elder man questioned, as his face still remained in its stoic expression, but the brunette didn't let this expression deter her, no she just widened her smile, her face beaming a bit more brightly at him.

"I'm his girlfriend."

She could barely contain her giggles as Mr. Forman's stoic expression morphed into one of clear shock; his deep frown disappearing altogether as his mouth dropped open slightly. A soft giggle escaped her plump, glossed cover lips, her head shaking slightly as the elder man continued to stare at her in disbelief.

"Well, Steven's _girlfriend, _I don't think he's here right now, but while you're here, why don't you hold this flashlight on that carburetor there."

The dark haired girl shrugged thinking to herself that maybe she could use this time to think of the exact words she wanted to yell at Steven as she placed her purse on a nearby chair in the cluttered, yet neat garage. Her petite hands took the black flashlight from the elder man's hand and angled it over the Toyota's carburetor, perfectly illuminating the object. Mr. Forman's gaze turned to her, his deep green eyes sparkling in amazement causing Jackie to lift a dark arched brow in slight confusion.

"You're not useless." He said softly, his voice laced with pure joy as she shrugged her shoulders once more at him. Of course, she wasn't useless; what beautiful girl was? She kept her dark brow raised, and let out a slight scoff.

"Well what idiot doesn't know how to hold a light over a carburetor?" She questioned, sliding her opposite hand into the back pocket of her wide legged jeans as her head tilted.

"I think I'm going to like you."

* * *

Before the brunette knew it, an hour had passed and she was still helping Mr. Forman tinker with his burnt orange Toyota.

Usually manual labor would annoy her, and she would refuse to do it, but she always held a slight interest in cars after reading a couple of magazines about them and looking over a few of the many car manuals her father had in his home office. Plus, Mr. Forman was good company; he let her ramble about her car wishes and when she thought he wasn't listening, he would offer a piece of advice that she immediately memorized and stored for later.

She appreciated his advice so much, that she invited him to come to the car lot with her to pick out her first car. He did ask why her father wasn't going with her, but she just shrugged her shoulders and replied that he was simply to busy with his recent campaign. He was quiet for a moment, but to her surprise, he agreed to come along with her. So, she found herself in a pretty good mood, almost forgetting that Steven hadn't showed up to enact the first big step to her plan. Well, until she heard a distant slam of a door.

"Looks like the dumbasses are finally home." She heard Mr. Forman grumble, and her head snapped in his direction, a look of realization appearing onto her face as her brain finally registered his gruff words. Yelling out a quick goodbye to the balding man as she stood up, she snatched up her small purse, heels sounding off the concrete in a harsh manner as she made her way to the basement door.

The small brunette pushed open the door to the shabby basement, ignoring all the shocked glances that the occupants shot her as the door slammed shut behind her. No, her focus was solely on the curly haired boy that sat in raggedy white chair. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, the brown jacket hugging the muscles of his bicep; dark aviators resting on his nose, his face as blank as ever as a jean clad leg rested on the circular, wooden coffee table, exposing his worn chocolate brown boots.

The dark haired girl paused for a brief moment as she felt her cheeks begin to heat, suddenly struck at how attractive Steven was in that very instance. It was easy to miss as naturally her gaze (and most others) usual fell onto Micheal, with his shiny brown locks, and his grecian-esque features, plus the playful nature and aura of the tall male only emphasized the boy's natural good looks.

Yet with Steven, his looks were much more subtle. His aloof and quiet nature caused many to overlook the boy, but as her gaze firmly locked to his figure, she couldn't deny how _good _he looked. From his light brown curls that were a bit too long, to his commanding aura that should've pushed her away, but instead she found herself drawn to him.

Her tanned cheeks flushed a bit more, causing them to stain a deep cherry red as she shook her head slightly. She was _not _supposed to be checking this bum out; she was _supposed_ to be ripping him a new one.

Fixing the curly haired boy that had yet to acknowledge her with a cold glare that sent a shiver down many of her cheerleaders' spines, she rested her manicured hands onto her petite hips, flipping her dark, curled hair behind her narrow shoulders.

"Do you make it your goal to piss me off?" Her gaze followed the light brown haired boy's blank face, watching his head lift up to greet her with a sarcastic grin that made her want to push him off that damned chair.

"Hm, it _is _a bit fun."

"_Steven."_ She deadpanned, her mismatched gaze flashing dangerously at the male that slightly looked up at her. God, why did he always have to make everything so damn difficult. Couldn't he just go along with everything she said? Her frown deepened as a quiet voice in the back of her head reminded herself that she chose him because he _was _difficult. Damn herself for wanting a bit of a challenge.

The dark haired girl continued to watch the male in front of her, noticing how he raised a dark brow over his aviators in question, a motion that made her have to physically restrain herself from kicking him in the leg that rested on the hard concrete floor of the basement. She let out a deep exhale in efforts to calm her building irritation and let her tense shoulders sag a bit.

"Steven, if you want _this_ to work," She used a manicured nail to gesture between the two of them "You're going to have to put in just a smidge of effort."

She breathed out, a small frown marrowing her soft features, as her wide set jewel toned eyes fixed him into her stare. She heard the dry chuckle that escape the curly haired male's lips, but instead of the sound causing her temper to flare once more, it only caused an odd feeling in the pits of her stomach.

"That's the point, I don't want _this_ to work."

Jackie resisted the urge to let out an exasperated sigh, her wide eyes still fixated on the boy in front of her, the small frown on her face morphing into a slight pout. The pair of them stayed like that for a passing moment before the male let out a deep groan.

"Fine." He grumbled out, and like a flash, the dark haired girl's expression returned to it's normal beaming state as she bounced slightly in place.

"Good! Now let's go to The Hub." The petite girl demanded, the large smile that graced her features widened even more as the boy turned his gaze away from her. She flipped her dark hair over her small shoulders, and let her hand nudge his shoulder that was closest to her, in an attempt to regain his attention.

"I'll pay." She offered; her light voice ringing in the cool air of the basement.

Not a moment later, the young male shrugged his shoulders and stood up slowly from his chair, following the petite brunette out the door of the basement, leaving his forgotten friends behind. The pair of them missing the loud exclamation that followed their departure.

_"__What the __**fuck **__was that?!"_


	4. Makin' Deals with a Devil

A/N: Here I am with another chapter! This is mostly just a filler chapter to get the plot rolling, but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I finally have most of this fic sketched out so I definitely see myself finishing this project. I appreciate all of your Kudos and Comments, and thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my shitty writing!

Please leave a review or favorite if you enjoy it! Constructive criticism is appreciated and encouraged!

**Chapter 4: Makin' Deals with a Devil**

**Forman's Basement **

**3:50 p.m.**

Hyde pushed his dark boot against the circular, wooden coffee table causing the two front legs of his designated chair to lift off of the concrete ground slightly as he flipped through the pages of the magazine in his hands. His gaze lingered on the printed words, but his attention was truly on the three stooges that sat on the ratted couch next him; each person staring at him with varying looks of confusion. He was trying to ignore their pointed stares, their accusing gazes, as he knew once his friends got started, they would _never_ stop; plus, he didn't really have the energy to keep up with their antics today even if he hated being looked at like some sort of zoo attraction.

Flipping another page of the slightly worn magazine, he adjusted in his seat slightly as his rose tinted gaze continued to skim over the printed words of the magazine still ignoring his friends that occupied the ratted, yellow couch until he heard a throat clearing.

"What?" He questioned, tone flat as he continued to flip through the worn magazine pages.

Hearing soft noises of movement, he figured that the three stooges were looking at each other trying to figure out what to say to get the right answer out of their aloof friend. It was a bit funny as it was kind of sad that the three of them could not come up with away to approach him besides staring at him. It was hard being the brains of the crew.

"Okay, I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Why was Pint Sized Satan in my basement?"

A deep chuckle escaped Hyde's lips, as he filed the nickname Forman used to refer to the recent thorn in his side that came in the form of a tiny cheerleader for later; maybe he'd call her that when he went over to her house later on. He shook his head, causing his coiled curls to bounce into his vision. Turning his head, he met the eager gazes of his friends and shrugged his shoulders.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"She came in, and only talked to you."

"And?" He questioned, a brow lifting above his aviators as he looked at the face of his scrawny best friend, watching the boy roll his eyes in annoyance. Forman should know by now that he was not going to answer to his interrogation eagerly, especially when he didn't know the answer to the question himself. The slim male took on one of his usual twitchy looks and leaned forward fixing Hyde with a serious stare, Tweedledee and Tweedledum mimicking his motions.

"Listen, if she's blackmailing you, I promise we'll find a way to free you."

Hyde could tell his friend was serious, but that didn't stop him from staring blankly at the boy. Jackie blackmailing him? Like she had anything over him that would force him to do what she said. No, she needed him; he needed entertainment. Simple.

"Forman, Why would Jackie even want to blackmail me?"

"Satan works in mysterious ways."

Tilting his head slightly, the curly haired boy's brows furrowed in disbelief at his friend's words. He turned his gaze to his other two friends that sat beside the twitchy boy and shook his head at their agreeing faces. He really didn't think the dark haired girl in question was as bad as Forman made her out to be. Sure she was vapid, bossy, abrasive, and most of the time when she spoke he prayed for the moment she shut up, but there was something about the girl that gave him a feeling that he wasn't seeing _all_ of her. She puzzled him, and he'd never been able to resist a good puzzle.

"Ya know, it's kinda weird that you're so against me hanging out with a hot chick." The boy raised his brows over his aviators and shot the smaller male a knowing look, trying to get him to drop the whole subject.

"Yeah it _is_ kinda weird. It's even weirder that she isn't trying to hang out with me, because ya know hot people stick together." Hyde stared blankly at his moron of a friend and shook his head, standing as his mind reeled at the older boy's logic.

"Whatever you say, man." He grumbled out as he made his way to the door, ignoring the other boys questions as to where he was going. It was his business.

Besides, he was sure they would hear about his 'situation' with Jackie at one point or another.

* * *

**Burkharts' Kitchen**

**4:15 p.m. **

Jackie mindlessly flipped through her _MotorTrend _magazine, eyes roaming across the latest car models and articles as she swung her feet back and forth from her position at the kitchen's expansive island. Even though, she was supposed to be brushing up on her knowledge of cars for her trip to the dealership, her gaze seemed to periodically flicker over to her male companion, waiting on him to finish the snack she'd ordered her family's chef to fix for them.

She couldn't help but find it a bit funny that every time they seemed to meet up, food was somehow always involved, but she knew he was a part of the unfortunate and she could not have her pretend boyfriend turn out as scrawny as that Eric boy he always lingered around. Plus she didn't mind waiting on him to finish eating; it gave her time to think and not just blurt out her jumbled thoughts.

Continuing to flip through the vehicle covered pages, she fixed her glossed cover lips to speak until she heard a familiar pattern of clicking heels.

"Oh, sweetie! I didn't expect you to be home so soon!"

Walking through the entrance of the expansive kitchen was the dark haired girl's dear mother, and the petite cheerleader couldn't stop the slight frown that tugged at her rosy lips. She could say the same for the elder golden-bronzed woman as she was sure the elder Burkhart was supposed to be at her job, but who knew with Pam, it wasn't like she actively told the girl anything. Sighing to herself, she met her mom's gaze mirroring the woman's wide, yet false smile and pushed her ebony curls behind her small shoulders.

"This is the usual time that I get home, Mom." She said softly, trying to keep her tone polite as her tanned fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.

"Hm, well I'm glad you're here so early, I have to speak with you about something."

Raising a dark brow, Jackie shook her head at her mother's antics and made a gesturing motion to the quiet, curly haired boy beside her.

"Mom, this is my friend, Steven."

"Oh sweetheart, we need to take you to the eye doctor soon for contacts."

The raven haired girl watched her mother's eyes flicker to the boy next to her and saw the way her nose scrunched slightly at his appearance. Her own wide set eyes narrowed as she felt a familiar flare of irritation rise in the pit of her stomach. For some reason, she couldn't stand the way her mother so carelessly dismissed Steven.

Sure he was dirty, and seemed to wear those damn aviators everywhere, but she just thought that added to his overall grunge appearance. Plus, shouldn't her mother have noticed that this was the first time she ever brought a guy home? Yeah, Steven wasn't the Prince of England but this was a milestone for her, and mothers should celebrate their children's milestones-wait what did she say about contacts?

"Why would we need to do that, my vision is perfectly fine," The petite girl deadpanned, her two toned gaze still on the lithe woman in front of her.

Her mother shifted on her feet, moving closer to the pearly white kitchen counter; her heels making a soft clicking noise with every step she took. The younger girl tilted her head, allowing her dark curls to spill across her shoulder as she watched her mom approach her, wondering what the gorgeous, yet vapid woman was up to now.

"Well your eyes are so horribly mismatched-" The elder woman flipped her long wavy bronze locks over her tanned bare shoulders as she shot the younger girl a knowing look- "We have family photos coming up soon and I was thinking we could find you a contact that matched your other eye. These photos will be going on our Christmas cards and I will not have you resemble a stray cat." Her mother concluded her spiel with a wave of her hand and a bright smile.

Jackie clenched her fist a bit more tightly as she bit back every remark that appeared in her mind. She knew she was mismatched, lopsided, _marked. _She knew it was glaringly obvious flaw, that made her otherwise perfect appearance, a little less perfect. She should be happy that her mother was offering a solution to a seemingly small insecurity, but she wasn't.

Overtime, she came to enjoy her eyes. They made her stand out from the crowd. Yeah, others had hair that might be just as beautiful as hers, a body just as toned as hers, but no one in town had eyes like hers. It was a mantra she told herself everyday as she dressed, a mantra she wanted to repeat to her mother in this very moment, but she knew it would be futile. When her mother got an idea in her head, there was no stopping her. Whether the young girl agreed with her or not, she would still do whatever she wanted to do and Jackie could only smile and go along with it.

"Of course, mom." She responded with a nod, as her gaze turned back to the magazine before her, trying to focus on the photographs of cars instead of her mother's unknowingly biting words.

"Good, " The woman said with a bright smile as she began to walk out the kitchen, halting herself once she noticed an empty plate beside the small girl- "Also remember you have a dress fitting later on this week, and if the dress needs to be more than hemmed, then you will be going on a diet."

"I understand," Jackie said softly, as she felt the familiar stinging sensation behind her eyes. She let out a shaky sigh as she heard the retreating noise of her mother's heels, shaking her head to release the building tension behind her eyes. She was about to start repeating the usual mantra she had for encounters such as these, but she heard the familiar clearing of a throat. Her head snapped to the side causing her ebony curls to swirl around her, and her eyes blinked slowly.

Damn, she forgot Steven was sitting next to her.

Double damn, he witnessed everything.

Clearing her own throat, she smoothed a loose ebony curl behind her ear and shot the boy a bright grin. Although, she felt a bit embarrassed, no scratch that, _a lot _embarrassed by the interaction that took place between her and her mother, especially because Steven had seen it all, she was not going to let this deter her.

She hated that he saw her in a less stellar position; a position that would ruin the perfect image she had meticulously built, but she was still Jackie Burkhart. So what if her home life was a bit off? She was still rich, and she sure as hell was still beautiful so she'd be damned if she was going to let the boy pity her. Jackie Burkhart was no pity or charity case.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that." She said in her usual light tone, as she turned to fully face the curly head boy next to her, giving him another bright smile. He was quiet for a moment, and Jackie found herself become a bit anxious as she waited on what he was going to say next. She wanted him to just shrug and let her continue on with the conversation, but when did Steven ever do what she wanted him to?

"Does she always speak to you like that?" He questioned, tone flat as an eyebrow rose over those damned aviators.

"Mhm-"the dark haired girl nodded- "She's just looking out for me."

"Doesn't sound like it."

She shot the boy a withering glare and shook her head. Why couldn't he just drop it? It wasn't like he cared or anything; he was just being a Nosy Nancy, and she'd be damned if she's the subject of the rumor mill this week.

"Well, Steven-" She flipped her hair in her usual haughty manner, and fixed him with her mismatched stare- "People often have funny ways of showing they care, not that you would know that, you're a bum. Besides, as much as I would love to focus on me and my life, we're supposed to be laying out ground rules for our charade."

The young teenage boy continued to stare at her like he was trying to figure something out about what she said, but Jackie wouldn't give him any more time to think. She had a plan to carry out. She scooted her stool closer to the aloof boy and began to recite her self proclaimed guide to fake dating.

* * *

_**Jackie Burkhart's 3 Major Rules to Fake Dating: **_

Number One: No falling for each other. (Of course that might be a bit hard for Steven because she was a complete catch, but she was sure she would _not_ fall for him)

Number Two: The charade will end immediately after homecoming. (It was enough time to defeat his one week reputation, plus it would mean she didn't have to search for a homecoming date and could focus on the halftime performance)

Number Three: PDA is welcome, but absolutely no kissing on the lips. (Of course he was allowed to hold her hand and touch her, because who would believe them if they never touched each other, but she refused to go as far as kiss the boy. That would make _them_ real, and _they_ could not be real.)

* * *

Hyde was only half listening to the words that continued to fall out of the peppy girl's mouth as she continued to ramble about her precious rules. Honestly, he didn't care what rules she had, it wasn't like they were important.

He certainly wasn't going to fall for her, he didn't care about homecoming, and even though the no kissing rule was a bit odd, it wasn't like he was just desperate to plant his lips onto hers. He wasn't Kelso. Shaking his head, he began to tune her out even more, letting his mind drift to the encounter that only happened just minutes before.

Admittedly, he never thought about Jackie's parents often. She was rich and spoiled so he just kind of assumed her parents were the type to take care of her every need and would jump to the moon and back just to please their only daughter.

Yet, he was met with a reality that didn't fit into his assumptions. Pam Burkhart was just as hot as her daughter, from her long legs, to her rather revealing wardrobe but that's where her hotness ended for him.

As he watched the woman tear into her own daughter's appearance with a smile on her face and as he saw Jackie, one of the most confident girls that he knew, draw into herself, the rose tinted gaze he saw the gorgeous woman in was lifted (figuratively, of course). It was clear that Jackie had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to her mother, and Hyde didn't like the small feeling of guilt that settled into his stomach.

So what if her mother was kind of shitty? So what if her life wasn't as perfect as he thought it was? It still didn't change the fact that she was the most annoying person he had the pleasure of encountering.

He didn't care that she looked like a wounded child when her mom said she resembled a homeless animal. It didn't anger him when her mom blatantly told the girl to watch her already perfect figure.

No, He did not, _would not, _care about the dark haired girl that was speaking so animatedly to him.

She was everything he hated. She was the Bourgeoisie, and he disliked everything that she stood for.

He was briefly taken off guard, that's all.

But, why did it feel like he was lying to himself?


	5. Play Date

**A/N: **Hi guys! I know this is a quick update, but I decided not to sit on this chapter because it is a short, kind of filler chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it and thank you for reading!

Also, this is a bit odd for me because I am used to AO3 format, and the way you reply to reviews on there is much more simpler so I am so sorry that I haven't responded to any of you guys reviews! I'll be responding to them here, but If you would rather me PM you, then let me know!

* * *

**christine:**_ thank you so much for your review! Your feedback is thoroughly welcome, and appreciated! I always found it funny how in the series Hyde would give into Jackie once he saw tears, even though he supposedly had a strong dislike for her, so I had to include it in my fic! Also I'm glad you enjoyed the Red and Jackie scene! They're interactions are some of my favs, and I just find them to be easy to write! Again, thank you so much for your review!_

**hokkman04:** _Okay so you have reviewed on every single chapter, and you really do not know how giddy that makes me feel! It just means a lot that you are engaged in the fic so much that you are compelled to leave a review. You're like the best person ever. _

_To address some of your comments: Thank you for enjoying Jackie's POV, I was a bit worried that it would seem to OOC but I am glad that I've managed to keep it IC even if it is an AU. Also thank you for enjoying the slight glimpse into Jackie's family dynamic, I did struggle with that scene a lot but I'm glad it translated well into the story! On the fake dating trope, as much as I love cliche, they do seem to follow the boring formula so I'm trying not to fall into that! Thank you sooo much for your feedback. Your reviews always seem to bring a smile to my face. _

**Fedencio'sGirl:** _Thank you so much for your feedback! I'll keep that tip about the El Camino in mind, even though I am a bit unsure how to write it into the fic. I would love for Hyde to have his car but I don't think I have the skills to write Leo. His dialogue doesn't really translate well into the flow of the fic, but I will be sure to remember your tip if I do write the car into the fic. _

**Rachel, awesomecreature, SJlove07, jacksamillion, and LRAEwrites: **_Thank you so much for your reviews! I do try extremely hard to keep Jackie and Hyde close to their on-screen characteristics, so It means a lot that it is translating well into the fic even though it is an AU (I am a firm believer that even though it is an AU doesn't mean you have to be completely OOC). Again, Thank you for your feedback so much!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Play Date**

**Formans' Basement**

**5:00 p.m.**

Jackie was sure she never met a group of boys that were as idiotic as the three boys that sat on the taped yellow couch beside her.

She'd only been in the basement all but ten minutes before the trio decided to pass time in such a dumb way that multiple giggles escape her glossed lips at their antics. The petite brunette had only been hanging around in the dingy basement for a mere week and the dark haired girl was never disappointed in the shenanigans the group seemed to involve themselves in.

It was a nice change from the usual speed of her life, and even though she knew they only viewed her as Steven's pesky little girlfriend.

Admittedly, She was a bit surprised Steven didn't complain much about her frequent appearances in the basement. _(Yes, she knew they were fake dating, but when Jackie Burkhart played a part, she committed to it to the T.)_

Sure Steven said something the first few times she pranced her way into the basement, like shouldn't she be at cheerleading practice, or hanging out with her actual friends, but after the first day she showed up, he just shrugged his shoulders and let her linger around. Now he just complained if he saw her sitting in his self proclaimed seat, but even those protests were a bit weak.

Maybe he was learning that her persistence had no bounds.

Of course his friends had something to say about her appearance,like Micheal and Fez wouldn't stop inadvertently hitting on her, which made Steven actually hit them. Eric always got extra twitchy when she came around and always called her some dumb nickname that basically said she was evil, and Donna always said something kind of sarcastic to her. But she was sure they would soon warm up to her.

Hell, everyone needed a bit of Jackie in their life even if they didn't know it yet.

Letting out another giggle, she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy about the past week. Things were finally going well with the other cheerleaders once they saw Steven waiting to walk her home after practice. God, she would pay good money to see the sour look on Julie's face time and time again. She was the number one again, and no one could question it. Not even dumb Julie.

"Okay, Your friend is a complete idiot!"

Jackie's head snapped up from her thoughts as she saw the sight of the ginger lumberjack entering the basement in what she would describe as a red tornado. Her nose scrunched slightly at the girl's boyish attire, and she found herself becoming a bit distracted by her lack of style, but she wasn't so distracted that she missed the other girl's statement.

The boys on the couch paused their impromptu wrestling match and shot the newcomer an annoyed look; each one of them letting out various groans as they acknowledged the red head, moving to take their usual spots. Jackie watched as Micheal and Fez both plopped down onto the ratted couch, while Steven stood up from his position and walked to his usual seat. She felt him lightly tap her shoulder, and rolled her two toned eyes in slight annoyance.

Shaking her head at his antics, she stood from his precious seat and moved behind him. The dark haired girl let an olive toned hand slip from the male's shoulders, and began to toy at his curls. Steven, of course, batted at her hand a couple of times, but she just used the hand that was resting on his shoulder to pinch the side of his neck, smirking in success at his soft grunt of pain.

Admitting defeat, the boy then leaned back to rest his head against her abdomen, and she continued to run her fingers through the frizzy curls, admiring the way they seemed to coil together. She was so entranced by the mechanics of Steven's hair that she nearly missed the conversation that was taking place before her.

"What's you and Forman's issue of the week?" Steven said in usual bored tone causing her to think that the redhead storming into the basement claiming her twitchy boyfriend was an idiot was a somewhat frequent event.

"We wouldn't have issues of the week if he wasn't such a _damn_ idiot!"

Letting out a giggle as she tugged on a particular defined curl of Steven's hair, she shook her head at the other girl. Oh, she so needed her help. This was the downfall of having so many guy friends; they weren't well versed in the ways of love.

No wonder her and Green Bean had so many issues.

"I'll help you out with your problem, Donna." She offered, giving the redhead one of her best smiles.

"Jackie, no offense, but how on earth would you help me?"

"I'm well versed in the many ways of love."

"You're dating Hyde." The ginger deadpanned looking at the shorter girl with a blank expression, and Jackie couldn't help but roll her eyes at Micheal's loud exclamation of _'Burn!'_

"Listen, do you really think these idiots will help you?" To emphasize her point, she nodded over to Micheal and Fez, who seemed to be engaged in some sort of slapping game, and Steven who was laughing and encouraging the boys on. She smirked in triumph once she noticed the realization dawn onto Donna's face.

"Fine, let's go to my house."

Letting out an excited giggle, the dark haired girl detangled her hand from Steven's hair, and patted him lightly on the shoulders. She quickly followed Donna to the door of the basement, wagging her lean fingers in a bye motion as she slammed the door behind her.

* * *

**Donna's Bedroom**

**5:30 p.m.**

The dark haired girl lounged on the other girl's bed, admiring her manicured nails as she only half listened to what the redhead girl sitting across from her was ranting and raving about.

She already had a solution for the ginger; she just had to drop the string bean.

Yet, based on the way the other girl's eyes glazed over when she spoke about the twitchy boy, that solution wasn't one she would enjoy. So Jackie continued to listen to the girl rave about her scrawny boyfriend, even if her mind was wondering just a tad bit.

"And then he punched me in the arm and said, Man!"

Jackie's head snapped up from her nails, and blinked slowly in disbelief at the redheaded girl, her mouth dropping open slightly as she processed her words. Who said _'I love you'_ that way? And what was even worse, he punched her like she was some_ guy_! God, no wonder Donna was so distressed.

"He said _what?_ Oh my God. That's_ so_ horrible, go on!" She encouraged the red head, patting the space in between them.

She watched as Donna's shoulders sagged, releasing all of the tension in them; her face taking on a defeated look, making Jackie feel a tad bit bad for the girl. Boy problems could be hard, and Jackie had no clue how Donna survived this long without another girl to talk to; no wonder why she wore so much plaid, the girl was practically screaming out for help!

"I guess, I like, totally screwed things up. 'Cause ever since I said I love you he's been acting so weird."

The dark haired girl nodded before she scrunched her button like nose and blinked at the redhead in confusion.

"Okay, wait a second, I'm a little confused, why did _you_ say I love you?" She questioned, her head tilting as she spoke.

"Because I...love him.." The redhead responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, causing Jackie to shake her head vehemently.

God, she had it_ all_ wrong. She just couldn't go sayin' 'I love you' to teenage guys all willy nilly; didn't she know that they were all idiots? No wonder, she was in this mess; she practically brought it upon herself.

"Uh Donna! That's got nothing to do with it-" She flipped her ebony curls behind her as she fixed the other girl with a serious stare- "You are_ way_ too young to be saying I love you."

Donna stared blankly at the tiny girl for a moment before tilting her head in slight confusion; her eyes squinting as she spoke. "Jackie, you're younger than me." She deadpanned.

"And you don't see me shoutin' to guys that I love them!"

The younger girl watched as Donna blinked slowly and shook her head in disbelief, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Scooting a bit closer, she rested her hand on the girl's crossed legs and gave her a soft grin.

"Okay look, Eric doesn't know how to handle that kind of thing; he's a boy so inherently he's an idiot-" She shrugged before continuing her spiel- "You probably just scared him off. All you could do right now is play it cool for a while, turn down the emotional heat, ya know?" The younger girl watched as Donna blinked slowly at her before giving her a slight smile, nodding to show that she understood what the other girl meant.

"You know, what you just said actually makes sense." She replied, her voice only laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"Look the sooner you realize I'm a genius, the better off we'll both be." Jackie responded, patting the girl's leg. She saw the redhead roll her eyes, but chose to ignore it, instead she just gave the girl another bright grin.

"Now where is your nail kit? You're in desperate need of a manicure."


	6. In Darkness, She is All I See

**A/N: **I'm here with another chapter! It's a bit longer than my others as I tend to get carried away with Hyde's POV but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Also, I finally have a finished outline for this fic and I know how I'm ending it so now I feel like I'm not writing all willy nilly! Again, Thank you so much for reading and Please leave a Favorite and/or review!

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**Jacksamillion: **_Thank you for your feedback! I am glad that you enjoyed it as I did struggle with including the scene or not! So I am happy that it translated well into the fic as I do love Jackie/Donna's friendship even if season 8 kind of derailed it. So I am glad that you enjoyed their scene as well. _

** : **_Thank you so much for your feedback! I am glad that you enjoy my writing style; it's such a pleasure to hear as I never really noticed that I had one!_

**Hokkman04: **_Omg, I am so glad that Jackie's POV is translating so well as from time to time I do struggle with her way of thinking. SO I am extremely happy that I am capturing her character right. Thank you so much for your feedback!_

**Rachel: **_thank you so much for your review! I do agree with you on your assessment of Jackie and that's the main reason why I am writing her as I am now! Again, thank you so much for your feedback!_

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**Chapter 6: In Darkness, She is all I see **

**Formans' Basement **

**Wednesday, 4:00 p.m.**

As she sat down on the ragged white chair, her denim clad legs crossed over one another, she decided that she has never met a group of people that seemed to be so incompatible from the outside looking in.

On paper, none of them should be friends, much less share the sense of comradery the group held, but somehow despite their varying interests and different goals, they made the friendship work. Even as she watched Micheal try and fit as many Twinkies as he could into his mouth; Steven and Fez on both sides of the lanky boy, cheering him on, both Donna and Eric laughing at the expense of their friend's idiotic tendencies. She realized they were _friends._

Not friends for convenience, not friends because the other person held a higher status than them, not friends because they just so happened to be on the same sporting team and _certainly_ not friends because the other gave them an offer they could not resist.

They were simply friends just because they enjoyed each other's company, and the young girl found herself pondering on what it would be like to belong to a group of people that truly enjoyed her. To have a group of friends that actually liked her, and wasn't looking for the moment she fell out of favor.

While, yes, Donna was warming up to the dark haired girl, and Steven did tolerate her presence a bit more, she knew they were a fleeting phase of her life and once the charade was over, she would be alone, again.

Tugging her plump glossed bottom lip between her teeth, she began to gnaw at it as her gaze shifted from the group of friends to the clock that hung on the nearby wall and glanced at the time. A sharp gasp left her rosy lips and she stood up so fast, she was sure that she gave the occupants of the basement whiplash.

_God_, she was late! And not only was she late, she was completely unready, so she was even later than she was now! The petite brunette bit the inside of her cheek and began to storm to the basement door, her breath starting to come out in short pants as her nimble fingers grasped the doorknob.

"Uh, Jackie, where're you goin'?" She heard the distant voice of a certain redhead ask and the younger girl just shook her head; her pigtails shaking across her shoulders. She couldn't stop and talk; no, she had to go _now. _Without another word, Jackie opened the door and slammed it behind her small person. Damn, _her mother was going to kill her._

* * *

She was exhausted-no _drained_, and all she felt the need to do was curl into her bed and have a good, long cry, but instead she found herself steering her daddy's Lincoln in the familiar route to the Forman residence.

She knew her mother would be displeased when she showed up late to their family portraits appointment, but she didn't know that her mother would spend the entire time cutting into her. When she first arrived to the studio in her patterned sailor cut dress, hair meticulously curled, pinned away from her face, and her make up flawless, she felt as if her dolled up appearance would make up for her tardiness.

It didn't.

As she hugged her father, the first thing her mother said to her was that her deep cherry red lipstick made her look whorish. When she offered to change it, Pam simply replied that it was too late and they had to move along with their photos. Yet as the photographer arranged the family of three, her biting comments still didn't stop.

"_Jackie stop slouching, you look like a sloth."_

"_Sweetheart don't smile with your teeth, you know they're too small for your mouth."_

"_Stop blinking so much dear, you're off centering the contacts."_

By the end of the photo session, she was blinking back the stinging sensation in her eyes, a sensation she knew didn't originate from the contacts covering her biggest imperfection.

Now, she was opening the door to the shabby basement, ignoring the confused gazes of the people in the room as she walked to her designated target. She walked through the card game Michael, Twitchy Eric, and Fez were having, and even ignored the light greeting Donna had given her.

No, her focus was on the male that was unwrapping his Popsicle as he leaned against the aging deep freezer.

"Oh, Steven." She uttered, her voice coming out a bit more whiny than she wanted it to but at least it didn't break.

She pushed herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face into his chest, trying to blink away the tears that stung her eyes. She expected him to complain loudly at her, or hell, push her off, but he didn't. Instead he just kept his arms in an open motion, and let her bury her face into chest, a shocked grunt leaving his lips as he took a tried to steady himself from her added weight.

She exhaled softly, her eyes closing as she fought back the stinging sensation behind her eyelids. No, she wouldn't cry; she _couldn't_ cry. Crying would lead to false promises and faux comfort, and she didn't want that. Right now, she just wanted to sink into Steven's chest and forget that everything that was wrong with her life existed, but her body didn't listen to her. Her shoulders began to shake, and as she tried to let out a deep breath, a broken sob escaped her lips and her sniffles filled the stale air of the occupied basement. The dam was broken.

With fat tears rolling from her doe like eyes staining the curly haired boy's deep green shirt, she buried herself deeper into Steven's chest, trying to get a hold of herself, but she just _couldn't. _

"Jackie, I don't see why you're huggin' Hyde when I could offer _so_ much better comfort."

Hearing Micheal's innuendo and feeling Steven stiffen even more, she lifted her head from his broad chest and scrunched her nose, her doe like eyes narrowing into near slits.

"Oh, _shut up, Micheal!" _She exclaimed, her voice coming out so shrill that she was surprised the soda bottles in the room didn't explode into tiny bits of glass. She watches as Micheal's playful expression morphs into one of a kicked puppy, and for a fleeting moment she feels a bit guilty for snapping at him. It wasn't his fault that her mother was a self absorbed bitch who lived to make her _only_ child miserable.

"Well, damn Jackie! I was only tryin' to help." The brown haired boy pouted as he crossed his arms across the expansion of his chest, an action that caused Donna to indulge the boy by rubbing his bicep in comfort.

The brunette shook her head detangling herself from Steven's person as she brought her hand up to wipe at her nose with the sleeve of her deep red coat, trying to quiet her sniffling. Her gaze shifted around the room as she tried to recenter herself, but at Steven's soft touch of her shoulder, she felt her vision become blurred by traitorous tears once more. The young girl turned her head to gaze at the boy that shifted awkwardly on his boot clad feet beside her. She looked up into his aviator covered gaze, a gaze that even though the shades were dark, it still didn't completely hide his captivating baby blues from her.

"You wanna get outta here?"

Jackie let out a deep sigh and found herself nodding, thankful for the suggestion. As much as she loved the welcome distraction the basement brought, being around the others were just too much right now. Especially when she could barely say a word without bursting into tears. With a soft, watery smile, she slid the keys to her daddy's Lincoln into his palm before promptly walking out of the scruffy basement knowing he was right behind her.

* * *

Since the moment she forced herself into his presence, Hyde had always found Jackie to be a pretty easy individual to read. He could tell when she was annoyed; he could tell if she was happy. And he sure as hell could tell when she was pissed. Yet as he let his rose tinted gaze fall over the small girl that sat on top of her dad's pristine car loosely holding a cup filled with soda, he found himself puzzled as to what _exactly_ was going through her head.

It then hit him that the only reason he was able to tell what she usually was thinking was because she always _told _him.

When she was annoyed, she would go on a tangent about whatever or whoever decided to get on the _precious_ Jackie Burkhart's nerves. When she was happy, she would ramble about every little detail that made her light up with joy in that moment. When she was irritated, she came right out and said it. Unlike him, the petite brunette beside him didn't hide her emotions through aloofness. No, she wore her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see, and while he at first thought her openness with her emotions was a bit naive, he'd come to appreciate it.

Maybe that was why he felt unnerved beside her as an occasional sniffle filled the air.

She'd been quiet for the past hour or so. When they left the basement and slid into her dad's Lincoln, he expected her to immediately launch into a spiel about whatever it was that caused her to break down against his chest, but she didn't. No, she stayed quiet as he peeled out of the Forman's driveway, her gaze fixed firmly out of the passenger side window. When he offered to go to Fatso Burger, she didn't complain about the greasy menu; instead she just told him her order and handed him the money to pay for it. _(an action he was grateful for since his spare change became less and less as the days passed). _

Even as they pulled into the clearing, she didn't make a noise of disgust nor did she say her usual smart mouth comment. She just ate her food in silence, not offering him a bit of conversation. Usually, he would be rejoicing in the fact that for once in his presence the cheerleader was not uttering a word but now it just made him feel _off. _It gave him the same feeling he got before he shoplifted something. Not the blissful rush of adrenaline, no, it gave him the sinking feeling that something bad was about to take place or in this case, the feeling that something bad has _already_ taken place.

At first he thought nothing of the quick departure she made from the basement in the earlier hours of the day. He assumed that she was just late to one of those odd cheerleading things she often did, but when she stormed back into that same basement looking so made up that she truly resembled the nickname he'd given her with tears in her wide eyes and distress on her face; he knew he assumed wrong. It was the second time he'd assumed something false about the tiny girl, and he _hated _it. Little by little, she was picking away at the preconceived image he had of her.

He despised how much it unnerved him.

He despised even more how broken her sobs sounded against his chest.

Before he knew it, he was offering to take her somewhere, an action that he wanted to regret but couldn't when she fixed him with such a sad smile that he felt a strong flare to _hit _whoever made her feel this way.

Now he sat beside her, his rose tinted gaze roaming from her pinned back, slightly mused curls to her pouty red lips that seemed to glow in the full moon that hung high in the deep blue sky above them. Her tear stained cheeks that seemed to still be flushed pink with emotion even though the tears had long disappeared since they left the basement. Yet, the strong twinge of despair still hung in the air between the pair of them.

He was clueless as to what to do to make the small brunette beside him speak again, to make her return back to her sometimes unbearably bright self. He wanted to say something, anything, to make those damned sniffles stop but he didn't even know what to even speak of. He wasn't good at comforting, it was simply something he, himself has never experienced. His mother comforted him by a sharp yell or a smooth smack to the back of his head. His father comforted him by leaving. His friends didn't dare to comfort him because he never let his guard down enough for them to see anything wrong. This was completely new territory for him, and as he shifted once more on top of the pristine Lincoln, he brought out the secondary thing that he used to comfort himself.

Between his calloused fingers, he holds one of the joints he has pre-wrapped for one of the evening circle sessions him and the guys usually have. Her wide set eyes flicker over to him and he sees her glance up at him in slight curiosity. As his aviator covered gaze locks with hers, he immediately notices the difference in her eyes.

They're _brown. _

Usually nothing was wrong with brown eyes, but Jackie _did not _have brown eyes. No she had eyes that appeared to be the inverse of one another; they were as weird as her fascination with unicorns. His mouth was about to open to ask what the hell had happened to her eyes, but he was hit with memory of a certain bronzed woman spitting veiled insults at her petite daughter. Floored with the realization that the photo shoot the woman had mentioned was today, he feels a flare of anger that the small girl had spent an expansive amount of time in a woman's presence that only needed a couple of minutes to cut her down.

He felt the familiar flames of anger start to lick at the pits of his chest as he held the younger girl's questioning gaze. He was angry at her mother for reducing the personification of Sunshine beside him to a withering ray. He was angry at her for not telling him that she had to endure the damned woman by herself today. He was just _angry. _

A smaller, more rational part wondered why he was so angry with the events that transpired; why he was so angry with being left in the dark. It wasn't like he and Jackie were friends. Hell, this was the first time since her kitchen that they had hung out in complete privacy. Yet instead of listening to the other part of his brain, he stomped both his confusion and anger down, offering the girl a tight-lipped smirk.

"Wanna smoke?"

It was a harmless offer that he was sure she would decline as she had many times before when she'd walk in on their group's designated circle time; hopefully she'd turn him down in a way that sent her into a tangent about how cheerleaders _were not_ burnouts and how he would not be turning her into a bum like he was.

Instead, she surprised him once more.

After a brief moment, the young brunette nodded her head in a motion that caused her dark curled locks to frame her face and muttered a soft 'sure.' He asked her if she was positive that she wanted to smoke (_he __**was not **__trying to pressure the dark haired girl into doing anything she did not want to do.), _yet she just fixed him a stare that made a lopsided smirk appear on his face.

"Of course I'm sure, Steven. I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." He shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle at her statement expertly lighting the joint between his fingers before he showed her the proper way to inhale and exhale before handing the joint to the petite girl next to him.

The first hit she coughed so hard that she drank most of her soda in one gulp.

The second hit she accidentally exhaled through her nose.

By the third hit, she's resting her head on his shoulder rubbing her face against the rough denim material of his worn jacket.

After the joint is long gone, they still sit in silence but the air is filled with her soft breathing instead of those damn sniffles. The pair of them relax into their marijuana induced haze, and Hyde finds himself thinking about how surreal it is for him to be actually high with the girl beside him. He expected her to be in a fit of giggles, to be talking his ear off, but instead she's resting her small body against his, her fingers threading through his curly mass of hair. She's still quiet but she's not the depressed quiet she was before. No she seems content with the stillness between them, and he doesn't particularly mind the way she's absent mindedly tugging at his frizzy curls. Another beat of silence passed between them before he hears her clear her throat, and he's sure she's about to go on a marijuana induced tangent, yet she just asks him a simple question. A question so simple that it causes him to raise both of his dark brows in slight confusion.

"Why does everyone call you Hyde?" Her head tilts up as she speaks; her hands dropping from his curls back to her own lap.

"It's my name." His response is short as he shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head up to look at the many specks of stars that littered the deep blue night sky.

"No, your name is Steven, Hyde's your last name."

"Still my name, doll. Besides it's the one I prefer."

"Well, if you like everyone to call you Hyde so much then why do you let me call you Steven?"

He opens his mouth to respond but at first no words escaped him. He didn't want to tell her that he liked that she went against everyone else. That even with something as simple as his name, she decided that she was going to stray from the beaten path and call him something different. It was...cute. But he would never admit that. Certainly not out loud, and _definitely_ not to her. He shrugs his denim clad shoulders and looks down briefly at the small brunette that is pressed against his side.

"Because if I asked you to call me Hyde, would you actually do it?"

It was a good enough response but with the way she's staring him with those doe eyes, he just knows she's peeling away every defense he has, and reading him as easy as a children's book. Her cherry lips turn into a smirk that mirrors one he's given her so many times and he feels a slight _pang_ of something in his chest. She nods at him and shrugs slightly, her shoulder nudging against his softly.

"Fair enough." She responds, and even though the statement should be aloof, she laces it with fondness and offers him such a bright smile that he is sure his heart is beating so loud that even she hears it.

Later that night after he's gotten the brunette home safely, he blames the pot for his strong reaction.

Yet as he laid onto his beaten mattress, he knows that he's lying to himself.


	7. Honey, It's Time to Spin

**A/N:** Here is another chapter! I'm sorry that it's so short but I promise the next one will be longer! I got caught up in this new JackiexHyde fanfic I'm working on so this chapter is a bit sparse, but the next one is gonna be packed with action soooo. I do hope you enjoy this one, and please leave a review or fav!

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**Seriousblahblah: **_thank you so much for your feedback!_

**Rachel: **_Thank you sooooo much for your reviews, they never fail to bring a smile onto my face! I am glad that the pacing is done well and that I got Pam's abuse across well! Hyde's (and Red's) reaction to Pam in the series always seemed a bit odd to me because it just seems OOC for him so I tried to stay a bit more true to his character in this fic, again thank you for your feedback!_

**Hokkman04: **_Thank you for your feedback sooo much! I am happy that the pacing with the relationship is translating so well! I always hate fics that kinda jump from infatuation straight to love because it just seems rushed, so I am glad that my fic is having a good build up. Thank you again for the review!_

**TinkStar87: **_I'm glad that her depressed state translated so well to you! Thank you so much for your review._

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**Chapter 7: Honey, It's Time to Spin**

**Point Place High Girls' Locker Room**

**Monday, 2:40 p.m. **

Every cheerleader knew that not only was the girls' locker room used to change into their practice clothing, but it was also used to get the latest source of gossip. So when Jackie heard Leslie clear her throat from her position by her designated locker, she thoroughly expected a tirade of information to spill from the blonde's rosy-pink lips. Yet, instead of her usual spiel of gossip, only a simple question filled the air.

"Jackie, you do think I'm a good asset to the squad, right?"

The dark haired girl furrowed her arched brows in confusion as her eyes raised from the cheerleader uniform magazine that rested on the bench she was straddling. At first she thought the blonde was fishing for compliments, but when the raven haired girl's two toned gaze met the blonde's, she could see the underlying self consciousness that lingered in her hazel eyes. Jackie's own wide set eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself up from her sitting position, tilting her head slightly.

"Of course I do, why would you ask such a stupid question?" The dark haired girl raised a dark arched brow in question and continued to stare at the blonde in front of her.

She listened as the girl began babble about Macie Carmycal and her constant jabs during rehearsals, an interaction that had completely flew over Jackie's head. She knew she'd been busy enacting the early parts of her 'boyfriend' plan, but she didn't think she'd been that busy to miss discourse on her squad.

Yet here Leslie stood, clearly affected by one of Jackie subordinate's comments, and Jackie had been none the wiser.

She could not have someone on her squad actively attacking her right hand gal. _**Oh no**_, that simply would not fly. If there was one thing Jackie did not like, it was when people messed with the ones she deemed worthy of her time, and for as many flaws Leslie had, she was the first girl to come up to her in freshman cheer camp, the first cheerleader she could actually consider to be a somewhat friend. She was one of the only girls on the squad that had a good head on her shoulders, and Jackie would be damned if some lesser cheerleader was going to mess with one of the most loyal girls Jackie knew.

Shaking her head vehemently, her hand coming up to pause the other girl's rambles, Jackie's wide eyes narrowed into near slits as a plan starts to form in her already busy mind.

"I'll handle it." The dark haired girl responded to the blonde, her ebony curls moving around her sweatshirt clad shoulders as she spoke with a trace of venom in her tone. She watched as the blonde gave her a bright smile, her appreciation beaming in her hazel eyes, and before she knew it, she was enveloped in a tight hug. Being rocked back and forth, she let out a laugh, and hugged her cheer friend back just as tightly.

"Oh, Jackie, you are the best! No wonder you've been nominated for Snow Queen!"

A sharp squeal left Jackie's lips as she swiftly detangled herself from the other girl's arms. A wide smile spread across the dark haired girl's features as she locked gazes with the blonde, her body practically vibrating in place.

"I've been nominated for _what?!_" She exclaims, her mouth dropping open as she bounces up and down on the bench the pair of them were occupying. The blonde shoots her a sheepish gance and her face flushes with slight embarrassment.

"Oh, you weren't supposed to know that.." The other girl says softly, but her smile does not vanish. "The dance committee finally finalized their nominations, and you're on the ballad."

Unable to calm her excitement, the brunette continues to bounce excitedly in place; her heart speeding up rapidly as her mind turns at the news she just received.

"_OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod," _She said repeatedly, her voice in an elevated whisper, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because," The blonde shifts in her seat; her hazel gaze darting from Jackie's elated face to her own lap, "Julie's name is also on the ballad, and according to our rules, I'm supposed to tell the subordinate cheerleader first so they can step down."

Jackie nodded in understanding, seeing nothing wrong with the girl's explanation as it were the rules that had been in place long before Jackie was voted head cheerleader. No two cheerleaders were supposed to be running for the same position as it caused discord on the squad; discord meant bad performances; bad performances meant a bad squad, and a bad squad was just not acceptable.

Yet, with this reasoning she couldn't figure out why Leslie appeared so unnerved by her confession.

"Of course, so Julie stepped down, and I'm sure she was whining about it. Just goes to show that _I_ am the better candidate, like always."

"Uh, Jackie?" The girl in question stared at the blonde, her dark brows raising as her wide eyes stared unblinkly at the girl across from her. "She didn't step down."

The locker room was silent for a pregnant pause as Jackie's mouth dropped open in pure disbelief, and in the blink of an eye, she's off the bench, storming into the gym, Leslie hot on her heels.

"_Oh that __**skank!**_"

The door to the locker room slammed shut behind Leslie from the force the petite brunette pushed it open with. She was on a mission; a mission involving a blonde haired skank who just didn't seem to get the message that _she _was head cheerleader, that _she _was the prettiest girl in the Point Place, that _she _was the number one.

Was Julie that much of a moron? Did the blonde really not get it that Jackie was top dog, the alpha, while she was just part of the pack? Christ, she had a boyfriend now, what more could she do to let this damn blonde know that she was on top and not going anywhere?

Huffing to herself, she navigated through the maze of cheerleaders spread across the waxed, wooden gym floor in multiple stages of their individual stretch routines. She didn't pay them any mind, her focus and gaze firmly locked on the taller blonde whose gaze met hers as she stops in front of her body.

"Oh, Hi Julie, love the new hairdo, it really brings out the whore in your eyes," The dark haired girl greeted the other, her hands coming to rest on her tiny waist, flicking her ebony curls over her shoulders.

"Jackie! I was just wondering where you were! I was starting to miss the stench of insecurity that you bring."

"Oh please, the only insecure one here is you since you just refuse to accept the fact that you're the lesser cheerleader and step down in the running for Snow Queen."

Gasps sound throughout the slightly crowded gym before multiple whispers erupt through the different girls, and Jackie smirks in triumphant at the shocked, appalled faces of her fellow cheerleaders and the enraged face of the blonde who decided to make herself public enemy number uno.

"What is that fear I hear?"

"Fear? No, I am far from scared. I'm just appalled at the disrespect you constantly show me," The shorter girl takes a step closer to the blonde, her two toned eyes reflecting the pure anger she felt, tone laced with pure venom, "If you know what's good for you, you'll **step. down.**"

A beat passes between the two girls, each of them staring at the other with looks of varying anger, gazes holding pure animosity for each other. The dark haired girl doesn't lower her gaze, or relent her icy stare; her lips settled in angered line as the hands resting on her waist as clench into tight fists. The blonde narrows her glare and simply shakes her head, a cruel smile playing onto her plush, glossed lips.

"No, I don't think I will."

Jackie wanted to launch at the girl, to tear every piece of her bleached hair from her dumb head; to make the girl feel the very frustration and anger that she herself felt. She wanted to kick the girl off the squad; to call a vote and watch the other girl's very world be ripped away from her. She wanted to give into her rage, but she didn't. No, she knew the type of girl Julie was; kicking her off the squad would only drive the girl more. No, Jackie would beat her at her own game, and destroy her in the process.

Smiling brightly, the young brunette bats her mascara covered eyelashes at the blonde and gives her a slow, cruel grin.

"Well if you want to play it that way, I don't mind. Just know that you brought this on yourself." She shrugs, her tone still polite as brushed passed the blonde, not sparing her another glance.

If Julie wanted to play this game then Jackie would be more than happy to join her; she was going to learn that you don't challenge your superiors. Especially if your superior is Jackie Burkhart.


	8. Havin' The Time of Your Life

**A/N: **Okay, I just want to say Im so sorry for updating so late! I just started this new job and they're literally working me to death so I haven't had time to write! I've also been in a really depressed state but your comments and likes have been bringing me out of my little self pity funk! So thank you guys so much, you truly do not know how much it warms my soul that you enjoy my shitty writing! BUT anyways with out further ado, please enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review or leave a fav!

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**Rachel**: _Thank you so much for another review! I'm super happy that you enjoyed this chapter, and Jackie can be a bit scary but I loveee that part of her so much. And I've always loved the idea of Jackie having a cheerleader bestie and Leslie was just so much wasted potential so I just had to use her in this fic! I'm glad you do like my use of her! Again, Thank you so much for your feedback_

**Hokkman04:** _Thank you for your review! I'm happy that you enjoyed the look into the cheerleaders dynamic, and I'm soooo glad that it shows why Jackie was driven to the point of faking a relationship! Again, Thank you sooo much!_

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**Chapter 8: Havin' The Time of Your Life**

**Formans' Basement **

**Monday, 4:10 p.m. **

The loud noise of the basement door slamming woke him out of his impromptu nap, and he found himself turning his head from the television to scold whoever decided to interrupt the most peaceful sleep he'd experience in the past few weeks.

When he arrived to the basement after one of his rare full days at school, he immediately toned out the senseless droning of his friends. He needed sleep and between Jackie, doing odd jobs for his neighbors, and trying to sleep in a cold, damp, and dark house, he didn't get much of it. So, when he achieved those sparse moments of rest, he wanted to make the most of them and he couldn't with people slamming doors all willy nilly.

As he blinked away the haziness of sleep, his gaze was filled with a very peppy brunette and he feels the bitterness on his tongue die.

She was standing in between the worn lawn chair and ragged couch practically bouncing in place, drawing Hyde's aviator covered gaze to her smooth, _bare_ legs. He knew she was due from cheerleading practice anytime, and it was logical to assume that she would come hangout in the basement afterwards, as that'd been her routine for the last couple of weeks but he didn't expect her to show up in her practice uniform.

Of course it was odd that she was dressed in such attire as he knew from the many times he waited on her after those damned practices, she liked to go home and change because in her words, 'she'd rather die than be caught dead in gym clothes.' Yet here she was, in the shortest green shorts known to man, a slightly oversized sweatshirt that read '_Vikings Cheer Captain', _and her blue and white ski jacket. Her features was graced with her usual bright smile that appeared to be a tad bit wider than usual (not that he usually looked at her smiles), and he found himself raising his eyebrows in slight shock, momentarily forgetting that he was about to scold her.

"Is anyone going to ask me why I'm so excited?"

Her voice filled the air, and Hyde's vision of her smooth, toned legs bouncing slightly was interrupted. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he let a tight, sarcastic grin play onto his lips.

"No one ask her anything because once she starts, she won't stop."

Instead of rolling her eyes like he expected her to, she instead sticks out her tongue, and he raised his brows at the playful action. Ever since that night on top of her dad's Lincoln, she'd been more playful around him, letting him catch multiple glimpses of the side of her that wasn't all the way shallow; the side of her that she rarely showed to the public.

He wanted to pretend that he didn't notice the way she would hit his shoulder playfully as she laughed at a joke he made. He wanted to pretend that he didn't crave that small secretive smile she would shoot him when he thought she was in deep conversation with Donna. He wanted to ignore the way she started to invite him in her home without the pretense of 'planning their next step.'

Because if he admitted it, if he allowed himself to think that she was starting to care for him in some twisted way, it would lead him down a road he did not want to walk, a path he didn't want to cross. So he ignored those gestures by telling himself that Jackie was just like this with everyone, and when that small, annoying voice tried to remind him that she _wasn't_, he firmly stamped it down.

"Oh, shut up Steven. This is important,"She shot back, sticking out her tongue once more before turning back to address the group, "Guess who's been nominated Snow Queen? That's right, me!"

The tiny girl resumed to bounce in place, her dark curly locks swaying in a rapid motion around her shoulders, and once more Hyde found his gaze locked onto her toned thighs once more.

"Uh, Jackie, why would we care about that?"

"Well, _Eric_, I wouldn't expect you to understand the importance of being a part of dance royalty nor would I expect you to know that every girl and guy that wins Snow Queen and King is guaranteed to win Homecoming Queen and King their senior year, because let's face it, you're at the bottom of the food chain, you'll never have to worry about these things."

Hyde let a sharp laugh escaped his lips as he looked back and forth between Jackie's serious expression that occupied her features, and Forman's sputtering one. The lean boy snapped his head in Hyde's direction and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know why you're laughing, she's probably going to make you run with her."

The curly haired male shot his friend an annoyed look before he turned his gaze to the brunette that was standing at the far end of the basement. He chose not to dispute Forman's claim and instead raised an eyebrow in question.

"Oh, please. I know I tend to work miracles, but even _I_ couldn't repair Steven's reputation enough for him to be nominated." The small teen replied shooting her curly haired counterpart a playful grin as she flicked her curled ebony locks over her shoulders. A satisfied smirk appeared on Hyde's lips as he sat back in his chair, arms returning to their previous crossed position. He took no offense to Jackie's statement as he really, _really,_ wasn't into all of that high school dance royalty shit, and even though it was a small gesture, he did appreciate that she knew him well enough not to push the matter.

"Anyways, if Twitchy here is done talking, Donna I need you to come over to my house."

"Uh, why?" The mentioned redhead asked, looking up from the magazine that rested in her lap.

"Because, I need someone to write down all of the things that I need to do as I list them off."

Hyde chuckled as he saw Donna's exasperated look, but the redhead still stood up from her position and followed the brunette out of the basement door. Maybe now he could get some sleep, he just hoped his dreams weren't filled with images of smooth olive tanned legs.

* * *

**Jackie's Room**

**That Same Monday**

As Jackie rambled on about the multiple items and ideas she had for her campaign, a part of her mind began to wander trying to desperately figure out a way to undermine Julie without messing up her own campaign. The brunette had to give credit where credit was due; Julie was a formidable appointed with her shiny blonde hair, and perfect toe touch. If she wasn't such a jealous individual, Jackie could see the two of them being friends. It was such a shame that she had to take her down, but the blonde challenged her, and no one, not even a cheerleader with hair just as beautiful as hers, challenged Jackie Burkhart.

So, while she listed the ideas she had for her Snow Queen campaign, she also listed ideas she had for Julie's downfall. With a calloused smirk, she halted her impromptu rambles as a brilliant idea popped into her head. She recalled the statement Leslie said earlier before practice; the statement that gave her a perfect in to destroy Julie's own ban of idiots.

"Are you finally done?" She heard her redheaded friend ask, and she nearly jumped out of her skin; she forgot the girl was even there.

"Sheesh, Donna! We need to put a bell on you or something," She stated waving her hand in a dramatic fashion, "But no, I'm not done, we just need to take a quick break."

The redhead seemed to be content with the petite girl's response and picked up a random _Cosmo _magazine that occupied Jackie's bed. The dark haired girl shook her head at her friend before making her way to her baby pink phone. Picking the phone up off of it's receiver she dialed the familiar number of the one and only Macie Carmycal.

Listening to the rings of the phone as she waited on the other cheerleader to pick up, she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the anticipation of stirring up a bit of trouble in Julie's little crew. She knew Macie and her younger sister Stacie were both close to Julie because they were the only two cheerleaders who did not vote her as captain and head of the squad during the summer. She also knew that the two would be helping Julie with her campaign as they were her little minions, so why not cause a little mischief and break up her support system, plus the other girl had also messed with Leslie so that would just be an added bonus.

"Hello?" The familiar voice of a light brown haired cheerleader filled her ears, and Jackie's smirk widened.

"Hey, Macie! Is Stacie home?"

"Uh, yeah, I can go get her?"

"Please, do! Leslie told me the rumor you heard about her and I wanted to discuss it. I can't have two of my favorite cheerleaders at each others necks! And once you get her be sure to pick up another line so you can listen in on the conversation, I'm sure it is one you would like to hear!"

The line was quiet for a moment before the other cheerleader spoke up once again, "Don't you think she'll be mad if we ambush her?"

"No! She'll be _so _glad that you're looking after her, so go get her!" The brunette responded in her usual cheery tone.

The young dark haired girl twirled a dark strand of hair between her fingertips as she waited on the other cheerleader's younger sister to pick up the phone. _God, _it was almost time to get her ends clipped.

"Hello?" She heard the voice of Stacie fill the static connection of the phone.

"I know your s_e-cret_." Jackie said in a sing-song voice, as she dropped the hair that was between her smooth fingertips; her smirk turning into a full blown smile. The other girl replied with a soft, confused 'huh,' before Jackie continued her statement.

"Macie told me how you and Jake, you know _Julie's_ boyfriend, were making out on that grummy stairwell."

She listened as Stacie inhaled a sharp gasp, and immediately began to deny the rumors but Jackie wasn't really paying attention. She didn't care if the other girl had swapped spit with someone else's boyfriend and she knew that rumor was most likely false as Stacie was not a person who enjoyed being the other woman, but hell there was bound to be collateral damage in a war. She quickly dispelled Stacie's worries and assured her that Julie did not know about the rumors, but another accusation was on the tip of her tongue.

"Don't you think it was a little bitchy of Macie to spread that rumor about you?" She pried in an innocent tone, as she sat down on her flower bed spread, flicking her dark curls over her narrow shoulders.

"Yeah it kind of was, but you know Macie, she's just a whore for attention."

Jackie damn near leaped for joy as the other cheerleader perfectly fell into her trap. God, either these girls were easy as hell to manipulate, or she was just _that _good.

"See, Macie, I told you she wouldn't be mad!"

"You think I'm an attention whore?" With a sharp gasp from Stacie, Jackie promptly hung up the phone by placing it back onto it's receiver. Smiling triumphantly, she smoothed her hands over her bare thighs and let out a soft cackle which caused her redheaded friend to turn to her with a confused expression on her face.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Oh, you know me, I just love ruining friendships." She responded, as she plucked the _Cosmo _out of Donna's lumberjack hands.

"When exactly did you lose your soul, Jackie?" Donna had a slight grin on her face, as she looked at Jackie with knowing eyes. Jackie was quiet for a moment, scrunching her upturned nose slightly. It was clear that the ginger was joking with her, but unlike their earlier interactions, there wasn't a trace of annoyance in her tone. So she let a slow smile spread across her soft features and thought for a quick beat.

"Hm, Cheer Camp." She responded as her head began to nod at her statement, causing the redhead beside her to erupt into a fit of laughter.

* * *

**Point Place High**

**Thursday, 3:00 p.m.**

Humming softly to herself, the young brunette stood on the top of her tippy toes as she tried to hang the overly pink poster that read '_Vote Jackie 4 Snow Queen, She's cool as ice!' _onto the cream wall of the hallways of Point Place High.

It wasn't her favorite of her campaign posters, but Micheal had seemed so excited when he came up with the slogan that it felt like kicking a puppy to deny him; plus he offered to help her and Donna hang up the rest of the posters, and even though she managed to convince Steven to stay after school with her, she knew he wasn't going to be hanging up anything.

So, here she was sliding her lean fingers down the edges of the poster, making sure that they stuck neatly to the wall, even if it had such a cheesy statement. Taking a small step back, she admired her work, smiling brightly as her eyes glanced over the poster. God, is this the giddiness her daddy felt when he ran for city councilman? Campaign season was _fun. _

As she admired her work, she realized she was all out of flyers and posters to hang up, so she picked her bag off of the ground and began to turn around, but halted when she felt a presence a bit too close to her behind.

"_Micheal, _I told you, two feet apart at all times, or Steven will hit you in your eye again." She said, in her usual haughty tone as she turned around, but her vision wasn't filled with the tall naive moron she knew. No, it was filled with a brown haired boy with a snarky smirk on his face and a slightly rugged appearance. Her lips tugged to a frown as she took in his close proximity and she raked her brain as she tried to remember just who the hell he was. Damn, in times like these, she could really use Leslie.

"Um, Do I know you?" She asked, a dark brow raising in slight confusion and question as she took a step back, trying to put distance between her and this stranger

"I'm sure ya do. I used to see you at a bunch of my gigs with that pretty blonde friend of yours."

Jackie's dark brows furrowed in a brief moment of confusion before it dawned on her who he was. He was that drum player that Leslie had a slight fascination with towards the end of their freshman year. As she let her eyes wander over the male, she could slightly see the appeal that Leslie saw. He was slightly rugged but not in the same way Steven was. Steven seemed to have a natural rugged and gruffness that he oozed through his pores; this guy here seemed to _try_ and be rugged, and it just came across as overly fake. Besides, with the way he was leering at her, he seemed to be more sleezy than rugged.

"Oh, Chip, right? Yeah, my friend kinda had a crush on you, but that's over now, and I should be going to find my _boyfriend_ and friends." She said, her tone still in it's usual bright tilt even as she emphasized the word 'boyfriend' hoping he caught her hint and move along. But as she tried to move past him, he stood in her way and she felt her eyes roll. God, was he an idiot? The brunette shot the male an annoyed look and flicked her dark hair across her shoulders, and tried to move, yet again, pass him. Yet just like the other time, he blocked her path once more.

"Are you sure it was your friend or was it you that had a little crush?"

A scoff left her lips as she shook her head vehemently at the boy's statement. _Her_ like some hopped up drummer, that was so _not_ sexy nor was he as rough around the edges as he wanted to be, _please_. She was more of a bass player kind of girl. Besides _his _arms didn't bulge in his denim jacket in the same manner that Steven's did-_wait why on earth was she comparing his looks to Steven's? _

"First of all, _ew_," She began, a look of pure disgust crossing her features as she scrunched her nose, "Second of all, I have a boyfriend who, by the way, is _sooo_ hotter than you."

"Oh, that piece of white trash? _Please_, we both know you're just a quick fuck to him. He's _trash, _darling, a burnout, you can't possibly think that whatever you have going on with him is serious."

As the boy in front of her spoke, Jackie's wide set eyes began to narrow. Sure, her and Steven wasn't in a _real _relationship, but how dare he assume so low of her, so low of _him_. He didn't know a thing about her Steven. He didn't know a god, _**damn,**_ thing. Her plush, glossed lips turned into a deep frown and she felt her tiny fists begin to shake. A flash of something that eerily felt like _protectiveness _licked at her soul.

Before she knew it, her right fist erupted in a burning like sensation and the boy in front of her was stumbling, clutching his now inflamed jaw.

* * *

He didn't know why he was spending extra time in a hell hole that he didn't want to come to in the first place, but here he was walking down the hall with his redheaded friend after she'd finish hanging up his pseudo girlfriend's posters. The whole campaigning thing was stupid and just a ploy to make less than great teenagers feel better than their peers, and he didn't know why Jackie couldn't see that. Hell, when he tried to explain it to her, she just fixed him with a blank stare and responded that the crown was pretty.

Fuck, why couldn't she see that she was better than this. That she didn't need some dumb title from her peers to prove that she was better, because she _already_ was.

Shaking his head of his musings, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turned his head towards Donna only to find her looking at him with a sly, playful grin.

"Ya thinkin' about Jackie?" She asked in a sing-song voice, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.

"Get bent." He shot back, turning his head away from her annoyingly knowing grin.

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day where Steven Hyde is wrapped around the little finger of a tiny cheerleader."

"I am _not_ wrapped around her finger. You've got us confused for you and Forman."

"Please, you're here _after school_, willingly mind you, and you even helped me hang up some of her posters!" Hyde rolled his eyes, and shook his head at the red head. Who knew she could be so deluded?

"First off, I didn't help, I wanted this shit to go by faster, get it right," He said as he shot her an annoyed glare, "Secondly, all of our band of idiots is helping her."

"Only because you glared at us until we all agreed to stay behind with you!"

Shaking his head once more, he turned back to face the emptying hallways once more, "Whatever."

"You know, once you get past her exterior, Jackie isn't all that bad. I mean you could do worse, so just know, I approve of you being whipped."

Hyde rolled his eyes once more and went to respond, but as the pair of them turned the corner they were met with a sight he did not like, not one **bit.**

Just a couple of feet away from him stood the object of their conversation, but instead of hanging posters, she appeared to be cornered by some dickwad. He was standing entirely too close to his tiny cheerleader for his comfort and from the look of Jackie's completely annoyed and appalled expression, his closeness was not appreciated.

The curly haired male began to slightly pick up his pace, not caring if Donna followed him, he just knew he needed to make it to Jackie before this _dick_ put his hands on her. But before he could reach the two, he was halted in shock by the next course of action.

She punched him.

His five foot pseudo girlfriend punched a guy so hard that he stumbled and appeared to obviously be dazed.

She, _fucking,_ punched him.

He blinked once, then twice. Hell, he almost took off his shades just to see if he was seeing the scene correctly. He heard the soft shocked exclamation of '_Oh My God' _come from Donna and he couldn't agree more. This just could not be real. Yet as the dark haired girl's gaze snapped to their direction and he saw the welling of tears in her eyes and her cradling her wounded hand, he knew what just happened to be true.

He pushed down his shock and immediately pushed past the other dazed boy, pointedly ignoring his pained grunts as he smoothed his hands down the shorter girl's shoulders before grabbing her bicep and tugging her away from the scene. The girl was eerily quiet, as if she was shocked by her own actions, but Donna's shocked yet excited rambles filled the air as they walked through the halls and reached the Vista Cruiser. He ignored the questions of his friends (minus Fez) and nudged the younger girl into the back seat and let the redhead explain the events that took place in a fevered way.

Once they were settled in the back seat by themselves, and the cruiser began to move in the familiar route of the Formans' residence, he turned to the dark haired girl who still hadn't muttered a word to him and let his aviator covered gaze drop down to the hand she was cradling. Taking the wounded hand, into his own he examined the swollen, bruising knuckles with a close eye before his gaze flickered back to the girl's shocked face.

"As soon as we get to Forman's, we need to ice this."

He watched as she nodded, still not saying a word, and he felt an eerie sense of deja vu come across him. Just what had the asshole said to make _her_ punch him? What words drove her to the breaking point? Shaking his head, he turned his gaze forward and began to anxiously await the moment the pulled into the Formans' driveway.

* * *

The moment they slid through the side door of the kitchen, he made her sit down on one of the pastel green chairs of the breakfast nook table while he searched through the freezer for the ice cube tray. As he popped the ice cubes out and placed them onto a thick dish towel, he found his mind wandering once more to the scene in the hallway. He knew Jackie could be violent, hell she'd kicked him out of annoyance to solidify that fact, besides, he liked her violent tendencies; it was kinda hot.

But it still didn't sit well that she was punching guys twice her size.

As he wrapped the freezing ice cubes in the rag, he exhaled deeply through his nose and walked back towards the girl who was still cradling her tiny right hand. Sitting in the pastel green seat next to her, he placed the cold rag onto her knuckles and gave her a slight grin.

"You good?" He questioned, watching as her wide gaze moved from her bruised knuckles to his face, ignoring the soft _pang_ in his chest as she fixed him with the smile she reserved just for him.

"My knuckles are gonna be all dark and ugly, Steven! This is a _disaster._" She pouted, and he let the grin on his face spread into a full, fond smile.

"Nah, I think it's kinda badass," He responded, watching as a bright smile spread across Jackie's glossed lips as her two toned gaze brightened. "So, uh, why did ya punch him?"

"Oh, Steven, I don't know. He was just saying all of this dumb crap about me and well, about _you. _And I-" She let out a deep exhale and he felt his breath catch at the fierce glint that appeared in her gaze, "I just got _so_ angry, and I just _couldn't _let him speak about you like that."

He was silent for a moment, searching her gaze in a near desperate manner.

This had to be a joke, a burn or _something_. She couldn't have gotten so worked up over _him_. Preppy rich girls did not get worked up over guys like him. No they only got worked up over dumb things like high school popularity or their hair, **not** him.

Yet as he searched her gaze, he knew she was telling the truth. She didn't punch the dillhole because he was harassing her, no, she punched him because the dickwad was talking shit about _him. _He should be scowling her, telling her that he didn't need defending but he found himself at a loss for words.

Never in his seventeen years of life someone felt the need to _defend_ him. No, He was the defender, the protector; it was a role he adopted and accepted early on, but here was this ninety pound girl defending his name simply because it angered her to hear someone talk down about him.

He slowly blinked as he let a look of indifference pass over his face. He couldn't let her see how her statement left him short of breath nor could he let her see how her actions made him want to plant his lips against hers.

No, kissing her would make _this_ real, and the things he felt for her were not real. He was just tired, that's all; he _**did not**_ want to kiss Jackie.

"Well, next time, leave the punching to me. We don't need you getting anymore bruised knuckles." He watched as she nodded in agreement, the bright smile that tugged on her lips still firmly in place as their gazes locked once more.

"Trust me, I don't think I'm punching anyone else anytime soon. God, how does Donna make it look so easy?" She replied to him, and a deep chuckle escaped his lips. He shook his head at the dark haired brunette next to him and gave her a slight grin.

"Never change, Jackie." He responded in a light manner as he adjusted the freezing dishrag against her knuckles. He meant for the phrase to come out a bit more sarcastic than it did, but he didn't regret the delivery one bit.

She was an enigma.

On paper, she should annoy him to the point where he wanted to claw his eyes out, but she didn't. She was endlessly endearing and when she had unexpected moments like this, he was reminded why he agreed to this charade.

She was a puzzle, a beautifully infuriating puzzle, and Hyde felt like he wasn't even close to solving this conundrum just yet.


	9. Can We Just be Honest?

**A/N: **Okay I am finally back with another update! I think this my longest chapter yet but it is one my favorite next to chapter 6. I do hope you enjoy it and thank you sooo much for all of your favs and reviews. I can't believe I'm over 1000 hits like that's unbelievable. It's just overwhelming and I'm glad you guys enjoy my little story! Again, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Rachel:** Thank you again for another wonderful review! It makes me giddy to think that you find my writing style a beautiful. Like I can't imagine my writing being beautiful, but I am so glad that you enjoy it so much. Also, the scene between Hyde and Donna was one of my fav to write lol!

**Hokkman04**: Thank you for another lovely review! Again, I am glad that you are enjoying the fic, and yes throughout the series no one ever really protected Hyde and that scene where Jackie actually defends Hyde against WB's preconceived notion of him inspired the scene between Chip and Jackie. Idk, I just love that they protect each other, so I had to do it in the fic. And yes they are trying to fight the feelings, but they can't! Sigh, don't you just love a slow burn? Again, thank you for your review!

** :** Thank you so much for your feedback! I enjoyed Jackie punching Chip as well. I've read so many fics where Jackie is often the damsel in every situation, and it is often forgotten that when she is provoked Jackie can pack a punch (i.e: her beating up that dojo sensei) so I wanted to stray away from the damsel in distress trope and take a different approach. And she is very protective of Hyde, something that I loved from the series so I HAD to include it here. Thank you again for your review!

**Sfstewart:** Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad that you enjoy my fic so much!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Can We Just be Honest? **

**Jackie's Room**

**Friday, 5:00 p.m. **

She was rambling, and she couldn't stop.

She knew Steven had long ago stopped paying attention to the words that were coming out of her mouth. Hell, she saw the way his head began to sag against the back of the chair that occupied the space next to her bed, and she also noticed how his occasional grunt of acknowledgement seemed to disappear.

Yet, she couldn't stop talking.

Maybe it was because this was the first time they'd hung out one on one after the whole Chip fiasco. Maybe because she didn't understand why her heart would speed to alarming rates every time she looked at him.

Maybe it was because she was a bit nervous, even if she didn't want to admit it.

But why would she be nervous?

It was just Steven, a boy who she roped into playing the part of her boyfriend. A boy who frustrated her to no end.

A boy who also was the only one out of her peers who took the time to make her feel better when she felt at her lowest.

Still, she shouldn't be feeling _nervous_ around him. Hell, he was just an accomplice, a piece of her plan to secure her success.

Yet as she tried to assure herself that he was nothing more than a piece to the puzzle of popularity, she oddly felt as if she was lying.

So maybe that's why she was talking so much that it lulled the curly haired male into an impromptu nap. She should be angry that he'd fallen asleep on her as she was reciting her ideas to knock Julie out of the Snow Queen campaign. She should be yelling at him to wake up and pay attention because every word out of her mouth was worth pure gold.

But, she didn't.

It wasn't as if she was worried about him and his constant sleeping. _Okay,_ she was just a tad bit worried, only because it was starting to affect their plans _(like, how could he pretend to be her boyfriend if he was constantly falling asleep)._ But, she was only worried because it seemed like he was tired a bit more than his usual lazy self, and she was sure that no matter how lazy and poor you are, that no one should be sleeping as much as Steven did.

She wondered if his mom had noticed, but that thought quickly made her snap her mouth shut and her rambles stop.

Because from what she knew _(from Leslie, of course. If that girl didn't go into news reporting after they graduated, it would be a waste), _his mom hadn't been back to work since the beginning of that month. She, of course, didn't think much about it because Steven didn't talk about it, and the only time his mom was brought up was to be some punchline of a joke Kelso came up with.

She wondered if his mom took 'spontaneous voyages' just as hers did.

Shaking her head free of her building thoughts, she decided she would ask him later on, maybe after his nap because he was too cute to wake.

* * *

She didn't get to question him until Sunday.

Well, she didn't get to _properly _question him until Sunday.

Sure, she lightly probed throughout the weekend, asking him seemingly harmless questions about his home life and such, but every time she brought it up he would distract her by mentioning some ugly girl that attended their school.

She had to give it to him; he was good, but she was better.

So as he sat on the edge of her bed, flipping absentmindedly though one of his own magazines, the air filled with _The Beatles_ record _(the only music they both agreed on)_ that played on her pristine record player, she turned from her vantiy's mirror and gazes at him.

"Steven, is your mother at home?" She blurts out, tired of beating around the bush with the aloof boy that occupied her bed. She notices the way he stiffens and feels a bit bad about her tactics, but God she didn't know how else to proceed. The air between them is still for a moment, and for a quick second she wonders if he heard her.

"Yeah, she is. Why?" He responds and she immediately knows he's lying.

She likes to think that in the past few weeks, she's gotten a good read on Steven Hyde. He, of course, isn't like any other boy she's encountered as he isn't an open book like most people, but if you pay just the right amount of attention, he becomes easier to read.

And one thing she has learned, is that Steven is a _terrible _liar.

Maybe it was because he was so brutally honest that when it came time to lie, his psyche rebelled in every way but he has such obvious tells that it amazes her that he considers himself a criminal.

One of his tells was the way he tended to drag out his words in an exaggerated manner in the same way he did at this very moment.

Her doe like gaze narrows as she observes him. She knows she should be more delicate in her approach. She knows that if anyone asked her if her mother was home, she would lie in the same manner that Steven did, because it's embarrassing to have a mother who would rather be miles away than spend time with you. So, she flicks her dark curls behind her shoulders and continues to stare at him.

"When will she be back?" She questioned, her gaze still firmly locked onto his form and she feels her nostrils flare slightly as he just shrugs his shoulders.

"Oh no, you don't get to just _shrug._ This is serious, Steven. Don't think I haven't noticed you sleeping everywhere like you're some Sleeping Beauty."

"Maybe I'm just tired from all of the partying I've been doing."

"_Please_, you either spend your time in that basement or here. Drop the act, Steven. When is she coming back?"

The air between the pair of them is still once more and she begins to feel like she has crossed a line, but she doesn't take back her approach. She _needs _to know that his mom will be back. That even though he was so horribly poor, his mother was at least there for him.

"She's not coming back. She decided that fall was the perfect time to travel with her newest boy toy." He replied, his voice softer than normal and she feels her heart seize. She's quiet for a moment, because in this rare instance, she's speechless.

Sure, her mother has traveled around and left for months at a time but she has always come back, but that wasn't the case for Steven. No, his mom wasn't coming back, and she was sure as hell that he didn't have a dad. He was all alone in a shifty shotgun house. God, how long has this been going on?

"Have you told the Formans?" She asked, her own voice mimicking his soft tone, as her expression softens, her hands rubbing her thighs in a nervous motion.

"Why would I tell them?"

"Uh, Steven, I'm pretty sure if they knew, they wouldn't let you stay in a house all by yourself."

"I _like _staying in a house by myself. Besides, I have enough small jobs that I can pay the rent _and _have my own private circle time."

Jackie's eyes narrowed once more at his dismissal of her proposal. She knew Steven could be just as stubborn as she was but this was ridiculous. Did those damned aviators skew his vision so much that he couldn't see how much the Formans cared for him? Could he really not see that he wouldn't be a burden to them?

"_Steven-" _She begins but is immediately cut off.

"_Jackie,_ I'm not adding more to the Forman's plate."

"Well why don't you use the money you're using to pay rent and just pay rent at the Formans' place."

"What's the difference between me staying and paying rent at my ma's place then at their place?" The curly haired boy shoots back, and she can feel her patience slipping. She wants to shove him because money isn't the issue here _(God, she can't believe she's thinking this)_.

She stands from her vanity's baby pink stool and crosses the small space between them to stand in front of him, in between his legs. She lets out a huff of air, and brings her hands to smooth over his unblemished cheeks. It's an oddly intimate gesture and later on she'd become flushed at her actions, but in this moment she strokes his cheeks as a way to ground herself and release her building anger.

It isn't that she's angry at him, no, she can somewhat understand that his pride is coming out to play. No, she's angry at his floozy of a mother. She's angry that the elder woman just up and decided that after seventeen years of being a mother that suddenly she isn't up for the job anymore. It's despicable and Steven didn't deserve this.

"The difference is that you're _alone_ there, Steven." She insists, her tone barely above a whisper; her thumbs stroking his pale cheeks in a motion that causes him to lean slightly into her soft caresses.

"So what Jackie, you're alone here all the time." He grumbles, and a scoff escaped her gloss lips.

"I'm not alone all the time," She snaps back "I have gardeners, maids, and cooks to keep be company. You only have rabid dogs and _thugs_ to keep you company, plus don't think I haven't noticed you wolfing down every piece of food you get your hands on. Alberto had to up the groceries for this week because even he's worried." She rants, trying to keep the anger from seeping into her words, because at this moment, it's not the time to be angry. She needed to put her issue with Steven's mother on the back burner and just convince him to at least _speak_ to the Formans.

It becomes quiet once more, and she hears (and feels) the boy exhale softly. She searches his face for a sign that he's at least thinking about her suggestion but those damned aviators are blocking her view. She wants to snatch them off, to look into the deep sea that is his eyes but she knows if she takes away his last defense, he won't react positively. Instead, she just sighs and drops her hands from his pale cheeks to his shoulders and lets his head rest against her abdomen.

If he doesn't go to the Formans soon, she would. She didn't care if he got mad, or if he called off their sham of a relationship. This was more important than her goals for Snow Queen or popularity, and if anyone asked for her to admit this she'd rather die but she knew in her heart that _Steven_ somehow became important to her. That somehow in these past weeks, he became her friend, and one thing Jackie did was take care of her friends.

* * *

**Forman's Basement**

**Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. **

The dark haired girl watched as Steven walked up the basement's stairs after stating that he wanted something to snack on. It was one of the rare moments that the only people who occupied the basement was her, Steven and Twitchy Eric, and thanked God above that Steven suddenly wanted a snack because this gave her the proper opportunity to confront Eric about Steven's living situation.

Turning her small body from facing the black and white television, she looks at the brown haired boy that occupied the spot beside her and offers him a blinding grin.

"Look, Eric," She begins, watching as the lean boy turned his head to face her. His green gaze locking with her heterochromatic one. "I know we don't normally see eye to eye.."

"Yeah because you're too short." He replies, and Jackie lets out an offended gasp. Her nose scrunches slightly and she slaps his shoulder with a force that makes the scrawny boy flinch.

"This is _serious,_ dumbass!"

"Okay, Satan, I'm gonna need you to stop hanging around my dad."

Jackie's eyes roll and she begins to think that maybe she should have immediately gone to Mr. Forman, but for as twitchy as Eric is, she is sure that he loves Steven and if anyone could convince the boy to move in with him, it would be the brown haired boy that sat next to her.

"Eric, listen, I need you to drop by Steven's place tonight."

"Why?"

The petite girl shifted in her seat, a nervous expression spreading across her features as she looks into the green gaze of the boy who thought she was the coming of the Anti-Christ. She hated going against Steven; She hated it even more that she was betraying his trust, but this was for his best interest. He could not continue to live off of Mrs. Forman's snacks, nor could he continue to live in that damned house.

"Just stop by there, _please."_ She insisted, her hand coming to grip the boy's lean bicep as her wide set eyes practically pleaded with the boy, hoping that he read between her veiled statements. She watched as the boy gave her a reluctant nod, and turned back to the show that was playing on the television.

Letting out a soft sigh, she moved back into her previous position, her own gaze shifting back to the television. For now, she'd done what she could do. If Eric didn't follow through on his agreement, she'd go straight to Mr. Forman and cry until he dragged Steven to live with them, but for now she'd be patient even if it made her unbearably anxious.

* * *

**Forman's Basement**

**Thursday, 4:00 p.m.**

He'd did it. The twitchy pain in the ass really did it.

Not only did he get Steven to admit that his mom abandoned him, but he also convinced his parents to let the aloof boy to stay with them. She could say what she wanted about Eric Forman, but he was an amazing friend and when he needed to have a backbone, he could.

Whistling softly to herself, she pushed open the door to the ragged basement and let a bright smile take over her plush, glossed lips as her vision was filled with a room only occupied by Steven. He was standing by the dryer, changing over his recent load of clothes and as she watched him, she dropped her small purse onto the worn couch.

"You're welcome." She said, her tone cheery as her smile widened.

The curly haired boy turned his head slightly, an eyebrow raising as she addressed him, an action that caused her to notice that for once, his aviators did not adorn his face. "For what?" He replied, closing the dryer before starting the drying cycle. She watched as he turned to address her properly; his face stoic as ever.

"For tipping Eric off, duh. Now you have a warm place to sleep _and_ clean clothes." She replied, practically bouncing on the heels of her feet, "You're _welcome._"

Steven's brows went from his usual raised position to a furrowed one and an expression of slight irritation morphed onto his face. "You _blabbed _to Forman?" He asks her, his tone laced with the irritation that shined onto his face. The dark haired girl tilted her head, confusion overtaking her mind as she observed him.

He wasn't supposed to be irritated with her. He was supposed to be thanking her. While, yes, she knew that he would be slightly angry at the fact that she let Eric know about his less than fortunate living situation, she also thought he would be able to see that she only said something because she was worried. And not to mention, she was losing sleep over the fact that he was alone in a shady neighborhood without any protection.

"Technically, I didn't blab. I merely suggested that he stopped by your house." She responded and Steven rolled his eyes at her statement, an action that caused the familiar flicker of irritation to lick at her soul.

"Jackie, you can't just manipulate everyone to do your bidding. I told you that I didn't want to bother the Formans with this, and what did you do? You manipulated Forman into taking me in like a stray dog." He ranted, his powder blue gaze darkened with the emotions that swarmed inside of him.

It shocked her to see Steven snap like this. He was always so _calm_ and aloof with her that she'd forgotten he could even become truly angry. But in this moment, in her mind, his anger was unjustified. He could not stay in that house, and she would be damned if she let a person she cared about waste away because he was too proud to say anything. Her heterochromatic gaze locked with his furious cerulean one and before she knew it, she snapped right back.

"Oh _please,_ I did not manipulate Eric." She began, spitting out the words as if they tasted of acid. "I simply suggested that he stop by your house. It was up to him to stop by. It was up to him to take you in. I didn't say 'Oh Eric, Steven is such a charity case that I need you to take him in or I'll break your stupid dolls.' No, Eric took you in because he and his parents care for you just like _I_ care for you. I was not going to let you stay in that house, Steven! You could've gotten hurt or mugged or" A huge huff escaped her lips as she felt the familiar sting of tears behind her eyes. God, she hated that she was getting so worked up, but she needed him to understand.

She needed him to understand that for once in her life, she'd put someone else first; that for once, she had someone she viewed as a true friend in her life. She didn't care if his stupid pride was coming out to play because she couldn't let him suffer. If push came to shove, she would have threatened Eric. Hell,she would have snucked him into her own house and let him stay there, simply because she _cared _for him. So, he didn't get to stare at her in anger because she took the actions he was too proud to take. No, she wouldn't allow him to reprimand her for caring about him.

A sniffle escaped her, and unbeknownst to her, a lone tear traveled down her flushed cheek. Her invert gaze stared at him, the adoration she felt for him shining clear in her eyes as she searched his own gaze peeling back the layers of misplaced anger and finding the flicker of uncertainty that she was sure he felt. Hm, no wonder he wore those damn aviators; without them, he was truly an open book.

"You're my _friend,_ Steven. I don't care if you don't want to accept it. I don't care if you don't believe me," She stated, her expression determined as she took a step closer to him. "But, you are my friend, and I care about you. This wasn't some plot, this wasn't some trick. This was just me, helping out my friend."

She let her words hang in the stale air of the empty basement; her gaze unwavering as she looked at him. She heard him curse under his breath, turning his head away for a brief moment, before his gaze locked with hers.

She was sure he was going to rebuff her claims, that he was going to throw their charade of a relationship back into her face but he didn't. Instead of reacting like she predicted him to, he wrapped his arms around her small shoulders and hugging her close to him. Her own arms circled around his waist, and her head rested against his hard chest her eyes immediately fluttering closed. He hugged her tightly, like she was going to evaporate into thin air, yet she didn't protest. She just let a small smile play onto her lips, hearing the '_thank you' _the hug said.

* * *

Hours passed, and she was finally leaving the Forman residence.

Her heeled boots sounded off on the concrete of the driveway as she headed to her daddy's steel grey Lincoln. Her chest felt lighter, and she couldn't help the goofy grin that played onto her plush lips. Steven and her were _friends_, and she couldn't be happier. Not only did he appreciate her help, but he also thanked her for it with a _hug_. God, this felt even better than placing Julie on the bottom of the pyramid. Grabbing her keys out of her small purse, her head turned sharply when she heard the call of her name.

She gazed in the direction she heard the noise originate from, and noticed a familiar lean boy jogging to her direction only stopping when he reached the car. She raised an arched eyebrow, perfectly mimicking the expression that Steven had given her many times before.

"Eric?" She questioned, curious as to why the boy would be approaching her when she was sure that he would be celebrating the fact that she left the basement.

"I just wanted to say, uh, thank you for letting me know about Hyde." He stated, a small smile playing on his lips as he looked at her, causing Jackie to be taken aback for a moment. Had she entered the twilight zone or was twitchy Eric _thanking her?_

"Uh, okay?" She responded, her brow still in it's raised position.

"Yeah, uh, even though you are basically the devil, it was pretty cool of you to let me know that Hyde needed help. I mean, you know how he can get."

The dark haired girl nodded in agreement, and smiled softly at the taller boy. "Yeah, it _was_ pretty cool of me." She said, her jewel toned gaze reflecting the mirth she felt. "But if you tell anyone that I did something for someone else, I'll set all of your dolls on fire."

She heard the boy let out a chuckle and when she didn't join him, his expression turned serious.

"Wait, you're not serious are you?"

Shaking her head at the boy that stood next to her daddy's vehicle, she used the key to unlock the doors and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Jackie, _please tell me you're not serious!_" He called out to her, and Jackie ignored him once more, opting to crank up the Lincoln instead of responding to him. She shifted the car's gear into reverse before rolling down her window, a sarcastic grin playing onto her lips.

"Don't forget to tell Steven to call me!" She replied, before pulling out of the driveway, leaving a flailing Eric in the driveway.


	10. Please Dont Let Them Look in the Curtain

**A/N:** I am so sorry that this chapter is so late! I fell into sort of a creative stump, and really didn't have any mojo. Plus I had finals and everything, but now I'm on break and have all the freetime to write. So expect more uploads!

Thank you so much for reading, and please leave feedback!

* * *

**Croooll: **_I am so glad you enjoyed the story! Here is a new update!_

**Guartuches: **_Thank you sooooo much for your feedback! Jackie and Hyde's friendship moments are some of my fav so I just had to write it. _

**Subchan: **_I am so glad you enjoyed my characterization of Jackie! Thank you for your feedback!_

**Funnybonez: **_I am so glad you enjoyed the previous chapter! It was one of my favs to write, and I am so glad you're enjoying my little slow burn! Thank you so much for your review!_

**Hokkman04: **_Thank you so much for your review! I agree, Jackie/Eric friendship is my favorite thing ever and I wish they had more screentime + more fics that expanded on their friendship so I just had to add that little part! Hyde's reaction was one of my favorite scenes to write as I took inspiration from the scene in the show where she admits that she loves him! Again, thank you so much for your constant reviews, they always bring a smile to my face._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Please Don't Let Them Look Through the Curtains**

**Burkharts' Mansion**

**3:15 p.m.**

Letting out a deep sigh, Jackie handed her fluffy white with red lining jacket and the keys to her Daddy's Lincoln, to her housekeeper and bounded up the many stairs to her room, in hopes of taking a nice hot bath, and washing the grime and sweat away from her dark curled locks. Today wasn't particularly hard, as Julie hadn't made her next move just yet, nor did anything drastic happen at school. Yet, she still couldn't shake the tired,sinking feelings from her bones.

Pushing open her closed door, the dark haired girl kicked off her white cheer trainers, and lifted her head, thoroughly expected to see her pink haven staring back at her, but that wasn't the case.

Instead of seeing her familiar, overly pink room, she saw what she could best describe as a modern hotel room. Gone were her stuffed animals, her Donny and Marie posters, her pink walls, and even pinker bed spread. Even her favorite flower pillow seemed to be missing.

With a loud gasp, Jackie screeched a loud " _Maria!" _at the top of her lungs, her hands shaking as she dropped her cheer bag to the ground.

Her housekeeper came storming up the stairs, her expression showing the confusion she felt, and Jackie could only refer to her room in dramatic hand motions. With a sad expression, the older woman explained in Spanish that her mother had taken it upon herself to redecorate her room stating that it was too childish for a growing woman.

Jackie's bottom lip trembled as she dismissed the woman, and quickly she made her way to the now cream phone that sat on her nightstand. With shaking fingers, she dialed her dad's private line and waited until he picked up. At the sound of her daddy's deep and formal voice, she let out a broken sob and explained her displeasure with her room.

Her room was _her _private space, the area she used to relax, to get away from it all. It was the only room in the entire, coldly decorated mansion that felt like home, that felt like _her. _And now, well now, it was just as cold as the rest of the house.

" _Kitten," _Her daddy interrupted her wails, " _You're sounding like an ungrateful child. Your mother did something sweet for you, and now you're crying like spoiled brat." _

Jackie's entire form trembled, as she tried to desperately calm down her broken sobs. Her Daddy's words cut through her chest like a knife, and she wanted to scream at him, to tell him that she wasn't over reacting, that this woman, _her mother, _had invaded her privacy and changed her private space without even asking her for permission.

But she didn't, instead she stifled her sniffles, and bit down the utter pain she felt in her chest, "Sorry, Daddy." She mumbled into the phone, "You're right, I was just shocked that's all."

Her daddy seemed to be pleased with this response, and simply told her that it was fine and informed her of the check that was sitting on his desk, saying it was the money for her new car, and that she could get Maria to take her to the car lot today. Figures, he wouldn't be going with her.

Hanging the phone up on its receiver, Jackie buried her face into her hands, tears coming out in a steady stream as another broken sob escaped her lips.

* * *

Later that evening, Jackie slid open the door to the Formans' kitchen with the check her dad had written for her firmly in her pocket.

After a good cry in the shower, and styling her hair in the newest fashion she'd seen in _Tigerbeat, _she felt a tad bit better, and she was sure once she spent this check, she would feel even better.

Taking off her jacket, she sat down on one of the pastel green seats, and began to read the newspaper that occupied the table, eyes darting to both doors occasionally. Usually, she would already be in the basement by now, telling Steven about her newest plight, or even asking him to accompany her to the car lot, but he wasn't who she was looking for. No she was looking for the elder man, who had just strolled through the flipping door of the kitchen, still dressed in his PriceMart work attire.

"Oh, god, don't you kids have your own houses to go to?" He groaned out, causing a grin to tug at Jackie's glossed lips.

"Oh, Hi, !" She chirped, "I was actually hoping you would come in. My dad wrote me a check for the car, and I was wondering if you would come with me, since you know so much about cars and stuff."

let out a heavy sigh, and shook his head, "I had a long day at work, and I really would like to just open a beer and watch the Packers game."

At this, Jackie's face fell, and she blinked back the familiar sting of tears, not wanting to break down once more in front of the aging man, but a tear still travel down her rounded cheek as she felt the familiar sting of disappointment clench her chest.

Seeing the glint of wetness surrounding her eyes, Mr. Forman let out a loud sigh, "Grab your coat, and meet me in the Toyota." He grumbled, walking out of the kitchen without another word. Jackie's mismatched eyes widened, and an excited squeal escaped her mouth as she quickly grabbed her jacket, and walked out the sliding door, hot on Mr. Forman's heels.

* * *

Hyde walked up the stairs of the basement, and entered the kitchen scratching at the nape of his neck,as he made his way to the refrigerator. He noticed Kitty setting up five different spots for dinner, and raised an eyebrow as he popped open the top to his cola.

"We gotta guest for dinner?" He asked, causing Kitty to pause her humming.

"Yes, Red called and said the little bossy, mean one," She waved her hands in a rapid motion as if she was trying to recall something, "Your _girlfriend _, is staying for dinner, after they come back from the car lot."

Hyde let out a soft surprised noise before he took a sip of his soda, "Didn't even know they were hangin' out."

Kitty let out a bright giggle as she walked back over the stove, stirring whatever occupied the bronze pot. "I think it's cute that two people you love are getting to know each other."

Hyde was about to nod in agreement before he caught that word, _love _. No, he didn't love Jackie. Hell, there were times where he couldn't even _stand _her. Sure, she seemed to get cuter and even hotter as the days went by, and her voice had gotten less annoying, and he actually found himself wanting to kiss her every time he wanted her to just shut up. But, he didn't love her, no that was ridiculous.

Shaking his head, he shot Kitty a look, "Nah, Mrs. Forman, I don't love 'er."

Kitty shot him a weird look that gave him a feeling like she didn't believe a word that was coming out of his mouth. "But you always have those goo-goo eyes every time she's in the same room as you are, and don't think those glasses are hiding anything because your head turns, mister." She let out a laugh, causing her blond curls to shake around her cheeks, "I think I know when my boys are in love."

Hyde's lips turned down into a frown, and he shook his head, "You're wrong." He denied, his brows furrowing together.

Kitty looked at him, and narrowed her eyes. She was quiet for a couple of beats before she burst out in another fit of giggles, "I don't think I am," She said in a sing-song voice, as she continued to buzz around the kitchen, "I think you _lo-ve _her."

Hyde's frown deepened, and he watched the buzzing blonde woman make her around the room. She _was _wrong.

He didn't love Jackie.

He couldn't.

* * *

After a rather uneventful dinner, between him, the Formans, and Jackie. He sat in his usual chair in the basement, trying desperately to ignore the brunette that occupied the space next to him, even going so far as it wish her red headed campion would offer that they go over to her house. He was failing, his eyes constantly darted to her pouty lips as she inhaled the donuts that rested in her lap, causing him to curse the fact that Mrs. Forman had decided to make powdered donuts for dessert tonight.

She had to know what she was doing to him.

From the way she slowly chewed the snow white powdered covered donut, to the way she leisurely lapped at the excess sugar that covered the tips of her fingers. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the way her plump cherry stained lips ensnared the donut, thinking to himself how he couldn't believe he was actually jealous of a piece of food.

She was teasing him; she had to be. What else would explain the way she was devouring the donut between her fingertips in such a delectable way that he was sure the moment would appear in his dream later that night.

The rational part of his brain tried to assure him that petite girl next to him was just enjoying the dessert Mrs. Forman had provided, but the irrational side of him, the side of him that wanted to place his lips firmly onto her sugar covered ones, to explore the taste of sweetness he was sure her mouth held, told him she was doing this for his attention, beckoning him to capture her plump lips with his.

God, he was _fucked _.

Shaking his head trying to free himself of his treatrous thoughts, he stood from his seat abruptly causing the two girls that occupied the couch to look at him in slight shock.

"Where ya going?" He heard Donna ask but his legs were already moving to the basement's staircase.

"I'm gettin' a soda." He grumbled out as his boots sounded off the basement's wooden stairs.

"Bring me back one!" She yelled over her shoulders, and Hyde shook his head, his lips set in a grim line.

"_No."_ He shot back.

The dark haired girl's brows furrowed and turned to her copper haired friend, confusion written across her soft features. "What's his issue?" Donna shrugged, and the other girl mirrored her actions, turning back to focus on the show playing on the TV and her beloved donuts.


End file.
